Opinion ID: 1903505
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Did Hughes receive effective assistance of counsel?

Text: ¶ 14. The test for evaluating a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is set out in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). The appellant must establish that counsel's performance was deficient, and that the deficiency prejudiced his defense. Id. Hughes must overcome a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within a wide range of reasonable professional assistance; that is, he must overcome the presumption that counsel's decisions are a result of sound trial strategy. Id. Hughes asserts the following: Hughes's trial counsel, Rogers Druhet, should not have waived the preliminary hearing; no pretrial ruling was made concerning his prior convictions and no witnesses were presented for Hughes; the offer of aggravated assault was rejected; no instruction was given regarding Hughes's right to remain silent; the victim was not cross-examined effectively; no objection is made to an improper argument by the State; and Druhet at one point stated in closing that it would be hard for us to find Mr. Hughes innocent of armed robbery, rather, guilty of armed robbery. Hughes does not offer any meaningful factual support for these assertions. ¶ 15. Proof of Hughes's prior convictions is evidenced in the record, and there is nothing in the record to indicate that these prior convictions should have been excluded in the sentencing phase of Hughes's trial. As for the preliminary hearing, in cases where a defendant has been indicted by a grand jury, the defendant is not entitled to a preliminary hearing. U.R.C.C.C. 6.05. ¶ 16. The assertion that Druhet's failure to call witnesses resulted in ineffective assistance of counsel is groundless and frivolous. There was evidence in the record that Hughes was accompanied by another male during the commission of his crime against Brown. The record gives no clear indication as to why Hughes's sister or the other male were not called as witnesses at the trial. However, Hughes gives no support as to why these witnesses should have been called or if the failure to call these witnesses prejudiced his case. In fact, Hughes's assertion is altogether unclear because his argument concerns a letter of continuance in which Hughes's counsel requested additional time to interview witnesses. Hughes's argument is illogical; there is no connection between the letter of continuance and a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel for failure to call witnesses. Hughes's assertion also complains of Druhet's failure to call witnesses at the sentencing hearing so that he could somehow contest the prior convictions and have them excluded from sentencing. This argument is groundless. The record supports the trial judge's sentencing of Hughes as a habitual offender. ¶ 17. As to the assertion that it was damning when Druhet said that it would be hard to find Mr. Hughes innocent of armed robberyrather, guilty of armed robbery, this Court finds that this is a harmless mistake that does not give rise to ineffective assistance of counsel. Hughes does not give any support to any other assertions raised on appeal before this Court. Therefore, Hughes's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is without merit.