Opinion ID: 1085663
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Object to Victim Impact Testimony

Text: ¶79 Ugalde argues that defense counsel’s failure to object to victim impact testimony, when “taken in conjunction with the other errors by defense counsel,” constitutes a failure to provide effective representation. She concedes, however, that “it is not certain such objections would have been sustained, and it is less certain they would have changed the outcome . . . .” We already have pointed out above that Ugalde offers no specific statements as examples of victim impact evidence. We also have determined that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in determining that the State’s evidence was not sufficiently prejudicial to render the trial fundamentally unfair. We therefore conclude that Ugalde has failed to prove prejudice sufficient to meet the requirements of Strickland’s second prong.