Com. v. Perry, G. ( 2015 )


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  • J-S05013-15
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION – SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P 65.37
    COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA,            : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    :      PENNSYLVANIA
    Appellee                :
    :
    v.                            :
    :
    GORDON LOUIS PERRY, II,                  :
    :
    Appellant               : No. 488 WDA 2014
    Appeal from the PCRA Order February 20, 2014,
    Court of Common Pleas, Blair County,
    Criminal Division at No(s): CP-07-CR-0001853-2009
    and CP-07-CR-0001855-2009
    BEFORE: DONOHUE, SHOGAN and STABILE, JJ.
    MEMORANDUM BY DONOHUE, J.:                             FILED MAY 15, 2015
    Gordon Louis Perry, II (“Perry”) appeals from the February 20, 2014
    order entered by the Blair County Court of Common Pleas denying his
    petition filed pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), 42
    Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546. On appeal, counsel for Perry (“PCRA Counsel”) has
    filed a motion to withdraw as counsel and a “no-merit” brief pursuant to
    Commonwealth       v.   Turner,    
    544 A.2d 927
        (Pa.   1988),   and
    Commonwealth v. Finley, 
    550 A.2d 213
    (Pa. Super. 1988). Upon review,
    we affirm and grant PCRA Counsel’s motion to withdraw.
    On January 20, 2010, a jury convicted Perry of two counts each of
    possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance
    with intent to deliver, and criminal use of a communications facility.   The
    convictions were based on evidence that Perry sold crack cocaine to a
    J-S05013-15
    confidential informant on July 6 and 7, 2009. Perry appealed his conviction
    and this Court affirmed in an unpublished memorandum on December 6,
    2010. On November 23, 2011, Perry filed a timely pro se PCRA petition.1
    The PCRA court appointed counsel, who filed an amended PCRA petition on
    June 7, 2012, raising four issues: (1) ineffective assistance of counsel for
    failing to file a pretrial motion to suppress statements made by the
    confidential informant; (2) ineffective assistance of counsel for not objecting
    to the Commonwealth’s failure to provide all discovery; (3) ineffective
    assistance of counsel for failing to properly cross-examine the police
    witnesses and confidential informant; and (4) trial court error for appointing
    a public defender to represent Perry on direct appeal, as this precluded him
    from raising his trial counsel’s ineffectiveness on direct appeal.   The PCRA
    court held hearings on the amended PCRA petition on February 8 and April
    19, 2013.
    On April 19, 2013, the PCRA court issued an order for appointed
    counsel to file upon receipt of the PCRA hearing transcripts “a summary of
    his position with some detail as to the individual issues.” PCRA Court Order,
    4/19/13.    On May 9, 2013, appointed counsel filed a post-hearing
    memorandum, including therein two issues that arose through testimony
    provided at the PCRA hearing: (1) an abuse of discretion by the trial court
    1
    This petition appears as having been filed on the criminal docket, but is
    listed as “missing” thereon and is not contained in the certified record on
    appeal. See Criminal Docket at 8.
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    for failing to appoint new counsel to represent Perry at trial upon learning
    that trial counsel had also represented the confidential informant in an
    unrelated criminal matter and (2) ineffective assistance of counsel for failing
    to obtain the arresting officer’s disciplinary records.2
    On August 20, 2013, the Honorable Jolene Grubb Kopriva, President
    Judge of Blair County, issued an order appointing PCRA Counsel to represent
    Perry.3 On February 20, 2014, the PCRA court issued an opinion and order
    denying Perry’s amended PCRA petition.          Perry filed a timely notice of
    appeal, followed by a court-ordered concise statement of errors complained
    of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b). On July 18, 2014, the PCRA
    court filed a statement in lieu of a written opinion pursuant to Pa.R.A.P.
    1925(a), referring this Court to the existing record for the reasoning behind
    its decision.
    On February 4, 2015, upon finding that the brief filed by PCRA Counsel
    neither advocated on Perry’s behalf nor complied with the Turner/Finley
    2
    In its opinion denying Perry’s request for PCRA relief, the PCRA court
    references a letter filed by originally appointed counsel “supplementing” the
    amended PCRA petition that reportedly raised the issue of trial counsel’s
    ineffectiveness for failing to request the arresting officers’ disciplinary files.
    See PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14, at 8. This document does not appear of
    record. As all of the issues raised were properly preserved through other
    means, however, it does not hamper our review on appeal.
    3
    According to the PCRA court, appointment of PCRA Counsel occurred after
    originally appointed counsel sustained an injury during an unrelated criminal
    trial. PCRA Court Opinion, 2/21/14, at 7.
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    requirements to withdraw as counsel, we remanded the case for PCRA
    Counsel to file a revised brief on appeal. PCRA Counsel timely complied.
    Prior to addressing the issue raised on appeal, we must first determine
    whether    PCRA   Counsel    satisfied   the   requirements     set    forth   in
    Turner/Finley for this Court to grant him permission to withdraw as
    counsel.
    The holdings of [Turner/Finley] mandate an
    independent review of the record by competent
    counsel before a PCRA court or appellate court can
    authorize an attorney’s withdrawal. The necessary
    independent review requires counsel to file a “no-
    merit” letter detailing the nature and extent of his
    review and list each issue the petitioner wishes to
    have examined, explaining why those issues are
    meritless. The PCRA court, or an appellate court if
    the no-merit letter is filed before it, then must
    conduct its own independent evaluation of the record
    and agree with counsel that the petition is without
    merit. See [Commonwealth v.] Pitts, [
    981 A.2d 875
    , 876 (Pa. 2009)].
    In Commonwealth v. Friend, 
    896 A.2d 607
    (Pa.
    Super. 2006) abrogated in part by 
    Pitts, supra
    , this
    Court imposed additional requirements on counsel
    that closely track the procedure for withdrawing on
    direct appeal. Pursuant to Friend, counsel is
    required to contemporaneously serve upon his client
    his no-merit letter and application to withdraw along
    with a statement that if the court granted counsel’s
    withdrawal request, the client may proceed pro se or
    with a privately retained attorney. Though [then-
    ]Chief Justice Castille noted in Pitts that this Court is
    not authorized to craft procedural rules, the Court
    did not overturn this aspect of Friend as those
    prerequisites did not apply to the petitioner in Pitts.
    See 
    Pitts, supra
    at 881 (Castille, C.J., concurring).
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    After the decision in Pitts, this Court held in
    Commonwealth v. Widgins, 
    29 A.3d 816
    (Pa.
    Super. 2011), that the additional procedural
    requirements of Friend were still applicable during
    collateral review.
    Commonwealth v. Freeland, 
    106 A.3d 768
    , 774-75 (Pa. Super. 2014)
    (quoting Commonwealth v. Rykard, 
    55 A.3d 1177
    , 1184 (Pa. Super.
    2012), appeal denied, 
    64 A.3d 631
    (Pa. 2013)).
    In the case at bar, PCRA Counsel has fulfilled the procedural
    requirements of Turner/Finley. PCRA Counsel states that he reviewed the
    memorandum filed by prior counsel, transcripts from the case, the PCRA
    court’s decision, and “applicable case law,” and “does not see any basis for
    reversing the trial court’s decision.” Turner/Finely Brief at 2. He then lists
    each   issue    raised   in   the   amended   PCRA   petition   and   post-hearing
    memorandum filed by prior counsel appointed to represent Perry and states
    (albeit briefly) why he believes the issues are meritless.       
    Id. at 3.
      PCRA
    Counsel appended a request to withdraw as counsel and the letter he sent to
    Perry, in which he informed Perry of his right to retain new counsel or
    proceed pro se, and which also indicated that he sent Perry a copy of his no-
    merit letter. Perry neither responded to Counsel’s letter nor filed anything in
    this Court.4
    4
    We note that in the letter sent to Perry, PCRA Counsel informed Perry that
    he had forty-five days to file in this Court a response in support of his
    appeal. PCRA Counsel’s Letter, 2/20/15. We awaited the expiration of that
    timeframe before deciding this appeal.
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    Having found that PCRA Counsel complied with the Turner/Finley
    requirements, we now turn to our review of the issues raised on appeal,
    which, as stated above, mirror those raised in the amended PCRA petition
    and the post-hearing memorandum. We review a PCRA court’s decision to
    determine whether it is supported by the record and to ensure it is free of
    legal error. Commonwealth v. Hackett, 
    99 A.3d 11
    , 50 (Pa. 2014). “We
    cannot disturb the factual findings of the PCRA court, which hears evidence
    and passes on the credibility of witnesses, if they are supported by the
    record, even where the record could support contrary findings.” 
    Id. (citation omitted).
    Our scope of review is limited to the PCRA court’s findings and the
    evidence presented at the PCRA hearing, which we view in the light most
    favorable to the prevailing party. 
    Id. at 50-51.
    In resolving a question of counsel’s effectiveness, we begin with the
    presumption that counsel rendered effective assistance.      Commonwealth
    v. Bomar, 
    104 A.3d 1179
    , 1188 (Pa. 2014).                 To overcome that
    presumption, the petitioner must establish:    “(1) the underlying claim has
    arguable merit; (2) no reasonable basis existed for counsel’s action or failure
    to act; and (3) the petitioner suffered prejudice as a result of counsel’s
    error, with prejudice measured by whether there is a reasonable probability
    that the result of the proceeding would have been different.” 
    Id. (citation omitted).
    If the petitioner fails to prove any of these prongs, the claim is
    subject to dismissal. 
    Id. -6- J-S05013-15
    The first issue raised was a claim of trial counsel’s ineffectiveness for
    failing to file a motion to suppress the statements made by the confidential
    informant obtained through an allegedly illegal wiretap. See Amended PCRA
    Petition, 6/7/12, ¶¶ 19-25. The PCRA court found this issue meritless, as
    the wiretap in question was lawfully obtained. PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14,
    at 5-6. We agree.
    Pursuant   to   section   5704   of    the   Wiretapping   and   Electronic
    Surveillance Control Act, it is not unlawful, and no court approval is required,
    for:
    (2) Any investigative or law enforcement officer or
    any person acting at the direction or request of an
    investigative or law enforcement officer to intercept
    a wire, electronic or oral communication involving
    suspected criminal activities, including, but not
    limited to, the crimes enumerated in section 5708
    (relating to order authorizing interception of wire,
    electronic or oral communications), where:
    *     *    *
    (ii) one of the parties to the communication has
    given prior consent to such interception. However,
    no interception under this paragraph shall be made
    unless the Attorney General or a deputy attorney
    general designated in writing by the Attorney
    General, or the district attorney, or an assistant
    district attorney designated in writing by the district
    attorney, of the county wherein the interception is to
    be initiated, has reviewed the facts and is satisfied
    that the consent is voluntary and has given prior
    approval for the interception; however, such
    interception shall be subject to the recording and
    record keeping requirements of section 5714(a)
    (relating      to    recording      of     intercepted
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    communications) and that the Attorney General,
    deputy attorney general, district attorney or
    assistant   district  attorney authorizing  the
    interception shall be the custodian of recorded
    evidence obtained therefrom[.]
    18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5704(2)(ii).
    At the PCRA hearing, trial counsel testified that he reviewed the
    paperwork attendant to the wiretap and found no reason to file a
    suppression motion on that basis, as “everything had been done properly[.]”
    N.T., 4/19/13, at 6.   The trial record supports that conclusion, as police
    testified that the confidential informant, Donna Boore (“Boore”), consented
    to the wiretap and that the police had Boore meet with the prosecutor to
    comply with the above requirements. N.T., 1/20/10, at 136.
    Perry testified at the PCRA hearing to his belief that Commonwealth
    v. Schaeffer, 
    536 A.2d 354
    (Pa. Super. 1987) (en banc), aff’d per curiam
    without opinion by an equally divided court, 
    652 A.2d 294
    (Pa. 1994),
    compels a finding that the wiretap in question was illegal. N.T., 2/8/13, at
    8-9.   The Schaeffer case, however, is inapposite to the case at bar.    As
    aptly stated by the PCRA court,
    In Schaeffer, the Pennsylvania Superior Court held
    that    warrantless     electronic    monitoring    of
    conversations in the suspect’s home, even one-party
    consensual monitoring, violates Pennsylvania’s
    [c]onstitutional protections in Article I, § 8 against
    unreasonable searches and seizures. 
    [Schaeffer, 536 A.2d at 355
    ]. However, [Perry]’s reliance on
    Schaeffer is misguided; the interceptions at issue
    were not obtained in [Perry]’s home and one-party
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    consensual interceptions pursuant to [s]ection
    5704(2)(ii) of the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and
    Electronic Surveillance Control Act are not unlawful.
    PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14, at 5-6.
    “[A]lthough the failure to file a suppression motion may be evidence of
    ineffective assistance of counsel, if the basis for the motion is meritless
    counsel cannot be deemed ineffective.” Commonwealth v. Costanzo, 
    455 A.2d 153
    , 155 (Pa. Super. 1983) (citing Commonwealth v. Ransome, 
    402 A.2d 1379
    , 1381 (Pa. 1979)).       As such, this claim provides no basis for
    relief. See 
    Bomar, 104 A.3d at 1188
    .
    Perry next raised a claim of trial counsel’s ineffectiveness for not
    objecting to the Commonwealth’s failure to provide discovery in this case.
    See Amended PCRA Petition, 6/7/12, ¶¶ 26-29. Perry contends he did not
    receive the following: (1) Boore’s criminal history; (2) records of the
    authorization by the prosecutor for the wiretap; (3) lab analysis regarding
    the crack cocaine tested; (4) phone records confirming that Perry was the
    individual recorded with the wiretap; and (5) the arresting officers’
    disciplinary files.   The PCRA court found that each claim was meritless.
    PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14, at 7-12. Again, we agree.
    Beginning with Boore’s criminal history, the record reflects that at trial,
    counsel extensively cross-examined Boore regarding her criminal history,
    belying Perry’s claim that the Commonwealth failed to turn over her criminal
    record in discovery.    Trial counsel questioned her about cases that were
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    pending at the time of her testimony, N.T., 1/20/10, at 228-29, 255, as well
    as prior criminal convictions on her record, 
    id. at 255-56.
    There is therefore
    no support in the record for Perry’s claim that the Commonwealth withheld
    this information.
    Nor is there support for his claim that the Commonwealth did not
    provide in discovery records supporting the authorization of the wiretap by
    the prosecutor. To the contrary, trial counsel testified at the PCRA hearing:
    “I was provided documentation regarding the wire taps [sic][.]”          N.T.,
    4/19/13, at 6. The PCRA court found this testimony credible. PCRA Court
    Opinion, 2/20/14, at 8.
    Regarding the lab analysis of the crack cocaine, the record reflects that
    trial counsel stipulated at trial that the controlled substance recovered by
    police from Boore following the controlled buys was crack cocaine.        N.T.,
    1/20/10, at 115-18.       The Commonwealth read the stipulation into the
    record, which contained a lengthy and detailed explanation of the testing
    procedures, the expert testimony that would have been provided by the
    Commonwealth, the results of the testing, and that the lab reports were
    received by police. 
    Id. There is
    nothing in the record to support a claim
    that the Commonwealth did not provide this information to the defense in
    advance of trial, and neither the PCRA petition nor the testimony at the
    PCRA hearing establishes a basis for us to conclude otherwise. Perry thus
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    failed to satisfy his burden of proof on this issue. See 
    Bomar, 104 A.3d at 1188
    .
    Perry also claims a discovery violation in the Commonwealth’s failure
    to turn over phone records confirming that the phone to which Boore placed
    a call was Perry’s or that it was Perry’s voice on the other end of the line. As
    Perry admitted at the PCRA hearing, however, the police never obtained
    such records. N.T., 2/8/13, at 28, 32. The trial record reflects that counsel
    cross-examined the police on the failure to obtain these records and used
    this in his summation to argue to the jury that it may not have been Perry’s
    voice they heard in the wiretapped conversations. N.T., 1/20/10, at 142-43;
    N.T., 1/21/10, at 45. There is no discovery violation if the Commonwealth
    fails to disclose evidence that it does not possess.      Commonwealth v.
    Collins, 
    957 A.2d 237
    , 253 (Pa. 2008) (citation omitted).
    Lastly, Perry believed the Commonwealth was required to provide in
    discovery the arresting officers’ internal disciplinary files.    At the PCRA
    hearing, Perry testified that he did not know of anything in the files that
    would be helpful to his case, but that he wanted to review them to see if
    there was any information he could use for impeachment purposes.          N.T.,
    2/8/13, at 33.    In his argument in support of this claim contained in his
    post-hearing memorandum, Perry relied upon Commonwealth v. French,
    
    611 A.2d 175
    (Pa. 1992).
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    In French, the defendant alleged that her assault on a police officer
    occurred in response to that officer’s use of excessive force on her boyfriend
    and friend.    
    Id. at 176-77.
       The internal affairs division of the police
    conducted an investigation of the events giving rise to the defendant’s
    charges, and the officer’s personnel file contained statements of witnesses
    who testified at the defendant’s trial regarding the events of the day. 
    Id. at 179.
      The Commonwealth contended that the files were confidential, and
    following an in camera review, the trial court agreed and prohibited defense
    counsel from reviewing the witnesses’ statements.       
    Id. On appeal,
    this
    Court found, and our Supreme Court agreed, that remand was required for
    defense counsel to examine the statements contained in the internal affairs
    files to determine whether the witness statements contained therein would
    have been beneficial to the defense, and if so, for a new trial. 
    Id. at 179-
    80.
    French is wholly inapposite to the case before us.          Unlike the
    defendant in French, Perry does not contend that the arresting officers’
    disciplinary files contain any information related to the case, and instead
    seeks to review them in a proverbial fishing expedition to see if he could find
    any evidence of past police misconduct.       This is impermissible.    To be
    entitled to review a police officer’s disciplinary files, “a defendant must be
    able to articulate a reasonable basis for his request[.]” Commonwealth v.
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    Mejia-Arias, 
    734 A.2d 870
    , 876 (Pa. Super. 1999). Having failed to do so,
    Perry is not entitled to relief on this basis.
    As none of Perry’s discovery-related claims have any support in the
    record, counsel was not ineffective for failing to object to these meritless
    allegations of discovery violations by the Commonwealth. Thus, no relief is
    due on this issue.
    Perry further claimed that trial counsel failed to effectively cross-
    examine Boore and the arresting officers. Amended PCRA Petition, 6/7/12,
    ¶¶ 30-33.     Regarding trial counsel’s cross-examination of Boore, Perry
    testified at the PCRA hearing that trial counsel failed to “delve into” Boore’s
    bias in testifying for the Commonwealth while facing multiple charges for her
    own drug sales and possession; that she was testifying “under pretenses of
    trying to get herself out of trouble”; and properly challenge her credibility.
    N.T., 2/8/13, at 16.    The PCRA court found, and our review of the record
    confirms, that this claim is entirely meritless. PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14,
    at 12-13.   Trial counsel questioned Boore at length regarding her multiple
    pending criminal charges – one of which related to her concealment from
    police of crack cocaine purchased during a controlled buy with Perry – and
    the benefits she hoped to receive at sentencing in those cases by serving as
    a Commonwealth witness in Perry’s case. N.T., 1/20/10, at 228-29, 254-55,
    260-61. Trial counsel attacked her credibility, repeatedly reminding the jury
    of prior crimin falsi charges she had on her record, that she lied to police
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    about using drugs while serving as a confidential informant, concealed crack
    she obtained during a controlled buy with Perry, and that she further lied to
    police about what she was going to do with the stolen crack cocaine. 
    Id. at 249-50,
    255-57. Thus, there is no merit to this contention.
    Regarding trial counsel’s cross-examination of the arresting officers,
    Perry testified at the PCRA petition to his belief that counsel failed to
    question the officers regarding conflicts in their testimony, why police did
    not arrest Boore when she stole the crack cocaine during the controlled buy,
    and why police allowed Boore to drive without a license during her time as a
    confidential informant.   N.T., 2/8/13, at 17, 30.     Again, the PCRA court
    found, and our review of the record confirms, that trial counsel questioned
    the arresting officers in all of these areas, rendering this claim meritless.
    See PCRA Court Opinion, 2/20/14, at 14-15; N.T., 1/20/10, at 160, 184-86,
    248; N.T. 1/21/10, at 40.
    Perry further raised two claims of trial court error based on: (1) its
    appointment of another assistant public defender to represent him on direct
    appeal, thus foreclosing his ability to raise trial counsel’s ineffectiveness on
    direct appeal, and (2) its failure to appoint new counsel once trial counsel
    disclosed, as the inception of trial, that trial counsel briefly represented
    Boore in an unrelated criminal matter. Beginning with the first argument, it
    is clear that Perry was not prejudiced by the inability to raise claims of trial
    counsel’s ineffectiveness on direct appeal, as he had the opportunity to raise
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    them in his timely filed PCRA petition and have them reviewed by this Court
    in the instant appeal.      Therefore, this argument does not entitle him to
    relief.
    His second argument relating to the trial court’s error in failing to
    appoint new counsel to represent Perry at trial likewise affords him no relief.
    The record reflects that at the beginning of trial, trial counsel stated the
    following:
    Your Honor, … approximately some time in mid to
    late July, the confidential informant in this case[,]
    Donna Boore[,] had a case at Central Court in
    Altoona … for a DUI[.] [S]he made an application to
    the Public Defender’s Office [and] she was accepted
    [for representation.] I personally was the one who
    met with her, constructed a plea agreement and
    went ahead and waived her case. When [I] came
    back to my office[,] they realized that she was a
    confidential informant on an open case that we got
    [sic] on [] Perry. At that time[,] probably a week or
    two later[,] she was conflicted out and given a court
    appointed attorney. … [A]ll [of] this information was
    related to Mr. Perry approximately ten minutes ago
    and I guess we can just see how he feels about me
    continuing to represent him with that newfound
    knowledge.
    N.T., 1/20/10, at 4.
    Perry requested that the trial court appoint new counsel to represent
    him. 
    Id. at 5.
    The trial court questioned trial counsel about his ability to
    continue in his representation of Perry, and trial counsel responded that his
    brief representation of Boore would not influence his performance, but that
    he was concerned that Perry’s confidence in trial counsel’s ability to
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    represent him would be diminished.               
    Id. Thereafter, the
    prosecutor
    questioned trial counsel on the record about his ability to continue
    representing Perry at trial.      See 
    id. at 104-09.
        Through this questioning,
    trial   counsel   stated   that   he   derived    no   financial   benefit   from   his
    representation of Boore; he did not represent Boore in any matter that
    related in any way to Perry’s case; he met Boore on only one occasion and
    the conversation was limited to discussing her driving under the influence
    charge then pending; and he did not obtain any confidential or privileged
    information from Boore that would be helpful in his cross-examination of her
    as a witness in this matter. 
    Id. Prior to
    testifying, Boore was also questioned by the Commonwealth
    without the jury present. See 
    id. at 201-03.
    She indicated that although
    she recalled that trial counsel represented her at the preliminary hearing
    stage on a DUI charge, she spoke with him for a total of two minutes and
    the conversation was limited solely to the pending charges. 
    Id. at 201-02.
    She did not share any personal or privileged information with trial counsel
    and waived any potential conflict of interest that might exist. 
    Id. at 203.
    Addressing the burden of proof related to a claim of a conflict of
    interest by counsel, our Supreme Court recently held:
    [A] petitioner “cannot prevail on a conflict of
    interest claim absent a showing of actual prejudice.”
    Commonwealth v. Weiss, [
    81 A.3d 767
    , 794 (Pa.
    2013)]; see also Commonwealth v. Hawkins, []
    
    787 A.2d 292
    , 297 (2001) (offering that petitioner
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    must demonstrate that counsel’s prior representation
    of Commonwealth witness adversely affected
    counsel’s representation of petitioner under PCRA).
    … [A]lthough prejudice is presumed when there
    exists an actual conflict of interest, this presumption
    is only applicable when counsel actively represented
    conflicting interests. Weiss, [81 A.3d at 795 n.16].
    Where counsel does not actively represent conflicting
    interests, a claim based upon the appearance of a
    conflict of interest lacks merit. 
    Id. Commonwealth v.
    Reid, 
    99 A.3d 427
    , 442-43 (Pa. 2014).
    Perry failed to satisfy his burden of proving that an actual conflict of
    interest existed based upon trial counsel’s brief representation of Boore in an
    unrelated criminal matter. At both the PCRA hearing and in his post-hearing
    memorandum, Perry pointed only to his personal discomfort with the fact
    that trial counsel previously represented Boore. See N.T., 2/8/13, at 14-15;
    Memorandum of Law, 5/9/13, at 6, 7-8.        The record, however, does not
    support a finding that trial counsel was actively representing conflicting
    interests or that Perry suffered any prejudice by trial counsel’s prior
    representation of Boore. See 
    Reid, 99 A.3d at 442-43
    . To the contrary, as
    stated hereinabove, trial counsel thoroughly cross-examined Boore, bringing
    to light her history of lying, lengthy criminal history, pending criminal
    charges, and bias motivated by her hope for leniency at sentencing in her
    own criminal matters. N.T., 1/20/10, at 228-29, 249-50, 254-57, 260-61;
    see Commonwealth v. Tharp, 
    101 A.3d 736
    , 754-55 (Pa. 2014) (finding
    no actual bias in trial counsel’s prior representation of jailhouse informants
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    where   the   appellant   does   not   show     a   “nexus”   between   the   prior
    representation and counsel’s performance at trial, i.e., that counsel
    “restricted his cross-examination” of his prior clients because of the conflict
    of interest). We therefore find no error in the trial court’s failure to appoint
    new counsel at trial.
    Order affirmed. Motion to withdraw as counsel granted.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 5/15/2015
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