Title: Priest v. State
Citation: 449 N.E.2d 602
Docket Number: 382S82
State: Indiana
Issuer: Indiana Supreme Court
Date: June 17, 1983

449 N.E.2d 602 (1983)
Darryl PRIEST, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Indiana, Appellee.
No. 382S82.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
June 17, 1983.
Susan K. Carpenter, Public Defender of Indiana, Paul Levy, Deputy Public Defender, Indianapolis, for appellant.
Linley E. Pearson, Atty. Gen. of Indiana, Aimee L. Kolze, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.
GIVAN, Chief Justice.
Appellant was convicted of robbery and committing injury in the perpetration of a robbery. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. His conviction was affirmed in Priest v. State, (1979) 270 Ind. 449, 386 N.E.2d 686. Appellant petitioned for post-conviction relief which was denied. He now appeals from the denial of his petition.
Appellant claims the post-conviction court erred in determining his trial counsel provided adequate legal representation. He argues his counsel's failure to timely file a notice of alibi in accordance with I.C. § 35-5-1-1 [Burns 1979 Repl.] and I.C. § 35-5-1-3 [Burns 1979 Repl.] and present an alibi witness, appellant's girlfriend, demonstrates his incompetency.
There is a strong presumption that counsel is competent. A showing of *603 strong and convincing evidence is required to rebut that presumption. The standard of review of an issue of inadequacy of counsel is the mockery of justice test as modified by the legal representation standard. Williams v. State, (1983) Ind., 445 N.E.2d 101; Lindley v. State, (1981) Ind., 426 N.E.2d 398. While incompetency of counsel evolves from the particular facts of each case, this Court will not speculate about strategy. We will, however, seek to determine if and how a defense counsel's inadequacies have harmed the appellant at trial. Williams, supra; Smith v. State, (1979) Ind., 396 N.E.2d 898.
The petitioner bears the burden of establishing his grounds for relief by a preponderance of the evidence. Ind.P.C.R. 1, § 5. The judge is the sole judge of the weight of the evidence. Only where the evidence is without conflict and leads unerringly to a result different from the trial court's conclusion will the decision be set aside. Gosnell v. State, (1982) Ind., 439 N.E.2d 1153.
The trial court entered findings of fact and conclusions of law pursuant to Ind.P.C.R. 1, § 6 with respect to this issue;
In Williams, supra, we held appellant had not been inadequately represented by defense counsel who failed to file a notice of alibi and was thereby precluded from presenting an alibi witness. In Williams, supra, we quoted Bowen v. State, (1975) 263 Ind. 558, 566, 334 N.E.2d 691, 696:
The record reveals defense counsel effectively cross-examined witnesses and made timely objections. He ably questioned the credibility of the victim. We do not believe the post-conviction court erred in determining defense counsel adequately represented appellant at trial.
The trial court is in all things affirmed.
All Justices concur.