Opinion ID: 457943
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Ineffective Assistance Claims.

Text: 22 Jones cites an array of alleged shortcomings in the representation his attorneys provided at trial: (1) his first appointed attorney asked to be relieved but was forced to continue representing him, (2) together, his attorneys made no motion for funds to hire an investigator to locate alibi witnesses, and the investigation the attorneys carried out on their own was inadequate, (3) the attorneys failed to request a continuance when Bobby Vaughn did not appear to testify at trial as he had promised, (4) they waived Jones' right to make an opening statement instead of using it as an opportunity to point out the unreliability of eyewitness testimony even before Banks was called to testify, (5) the attorneys did not arrange for an expert to testify as to the unreliability of eyewitness testimony, and (6) they did not request that opening and closing arguments of counsel be recorded, and thus there is no way appellate counsel can examine the transcript in search of plain error. 23 Applying the two-part test announced in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), we affirm the district court's denial of habeas relief as to each of these alleged shortcomings. None involved both professional conduct that was unreasonable under the circumstances (the performance inquiry) and a reasonable probability that, but for the challenged conduct, the result of the trial proceedings would have been different (the prejudice inquiry). Id. at ----, 104 S.Ct. at 2064-69. 24 The state court found that a good working relationship existed between Jones and both of his attorneys after a second lawyer was appointed to act as co-counsel. This finding is fairly supported by the record. It belies any specific claim Jones might make as to having been prejudiced by his first attorney's alleged reluctance to represent him. 25 The state court also found that the attorneys conducted a thorough investigation of the case, including a diligent search for the alibi witnesses whose names had been given to them. Jones' attorneys interviewed several people who frequented the social club where Jones claims to have been on the night of the murder. Yet they were unable to locate the alibi witnesses. The state court's characterization of this investigation as adequate is more than fairly supported by the record. Moreover, apart from the reasonableness of his attorneys' investigation, Jones has not established that he was prejudiced by their failing to locate the witnesses or move for investigative funds. He has not shown that he was entitled to have such a motion granted, that a private investigator would have located the witnesses, and that they would have testified even if located. It is even less evident that their testimony would have created a reasonable probability that the outcome of Jones' trial would have been different. Not one of these witnesses appeared before the state coram nobis court to testify as to what he or she would have said if called as a witness at Jones' trial. 26 Similarly, to the extent the record reflects what Bobby Vaughn would have said if called as a witness in Jones' behalf, no reasonable probability exists that the outcome of the trial would have been altered by his testimony. Vaughn's attorney summarized his client's testimony as confirming that Vaughn had been with Jones on the night before the murder but not at the precise time the murder occurred. 27 The attorneys' decision to waive opening argument at the guilty phase was one of reasonable trial strategy. It left the defense uncommitted to a particular position and thus free to develop any defense that might materialize as the State presented its case. Further, Jones has not established as a reasonable probability that making an opening statement addressing the unreliability of eyewitness testimony would have altered the outcome of the trial in this case. 28 Nor did the failure of Jones' attorneys to offer in evidence the opinion of a qualified expert as to the unreliability of eyewitness testimony constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. The likelihood of mistaken identification by Banks was brought to the jury's full attention through cross-examination. No prejudice resulted from the lack of expert testimony. 29 Finally, the attorneys' failure to request that opening and closing arguments be recorded did not comprise unreasonable professional conduct. The attorneys did object to two remarks made by the state, and the statements of counsel and the court with respect to these objections were recorded. Jones does not allege and has presented no evidence showing that other allegedly improper remarks were made before the jury without objection. At best, his claim is that additional though unspecified grounds for post-conviction relief might have been discovered had the arguments been recorded. 30 AFFIRMED.