Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/558bv.pdf
Page Number: 178.0

Cite as: 558 U. S. 15 (2009) 

17 

Per Curiam 

standard  of  reasonableness.”  Id.,  at  688.  In  light  of  “the 
variety  of  circumstances  faced  by  defense  counsel  [and]  the 
range  of  legitimate  decisions  regarding  how  best  to  repre­
sent  a  criminal  defendant,”  the  performance  inquiry  neces­
sarily turns on “whether counsel’s assistance was reasonable 
considering all the circumstances.”  Id., at 688–689.  At all 
points, “[j]udicial  scrutiny of counsel’s  performance must be 
highly deferential.”  Id., at 689. 

The challenge confronting Belmontes’ lawyer, John Schick, 
was  very  speciﬁc.  Substantial  evidence  indicated  that  Bel­
montes  had  committed  a  prior  murder,  and  the  prosecution 
was  eager  to  introduce  that  evidence  during  the  penalty 
phase  of  the  McConnell  trial.  The  evidence  of  the  prior 
murder  was  extensive,  including  eyewitness  testimony,  Bel­
montes’  own  admissions,  and  Belmontes’  possession  of  the 
murder  weapon  and  the  same  type  of  ammunition  used  to 
kill the victim.  Record 2239–2250, 2261; Deposition of John 
Schick, Exhs. 62, 63, 64 (Sept. 26, 1995). 

The  evidence,  furthermore,  was  potentially  devastating. 
It  would  have  shown  that  two  years  before  Steacy  McCon­
nell’s  death,  police  found  Jerry  Howard’s  body  in  a  secluded 
area.  Howard had been killed execution style, with a bullet 
to  the  back  of  the  head.  The  authorities  suspected  Bel­
montes, but on the eve of trial the State’s witnesses refused 
to cooperate  (Belmontes’ mother  had begged  one not  to tes­
tify).  The prosecution therefore believed it could not prove 
Belmontes  guilty  of  murder  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt. 
What the prosecution could prove, even without the recalci­
trant witnesses, was that Belmontes possessed the gun used 
to murder Howard.  So the State offered, and Belmontes ac­
cepted, a no-contest plea to accessory after the fact to volun­
tary  manslaughter.  Record  2239–2243;  Deposition  of  John 
Schick, Exhs. 62, 63, 64. 

But Belmontes had not been shy about discussing the mur­
der,  boasting  to  several  people  that  he  had  killed  Howard. 
Steven  Cartwright  informed  the  district  attorney  that  Bel­