Opinion ID: 2052708
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Dawson's Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Text: Dawson contends that his trial counsel were constitutionally ineffective. To this end, Dawson points to four alleged instances where counsel failed adequately to represent his interests: 1) counsel's failure to sever Dawson's charge of Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited; 2) counsel's suggestion during his opening statement that there would be evidence introduced supporting the defendant's version of the facts, including a statement from the defendant; 3) counsel's suggestion, through the cross-examination of State witnesses, that Brian Kisner was somehow involved in the murder of his own mother; and 4) counsel's failure to develop any unifying theory of defense. Dawson's additional contention, that counsel were ineffective for not exploring Dawson's contention that Nave, McCoy and Irwin actually committed the murder, was addressed and rejected, supra. The trial court, after analyzing the facts and attendant circumstances, concluded that Dawson's ineffective assistance claims were without merit. In light of our review of the factual record and the contentions of the parties, we hold that the trial court's judgment is correct and should not be disturbed on appeal. The Superior Court's denial of Dawson's motion for postconviction relief based on claims of ineffective assistance of counsel is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Shockley v. State, Del.Supr., 565 A.2d 1373, 1376 (1989). In discharging its appellate function, the Court must carefully review the record to determine whether competent evidence supports the court's findings of fact and whether its conclusions of law are not erroneous. Id. (citing Albury v. State, Del.Supr., 551 A.2d 53, 60 (1988)). In order to establish a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, Dawson was required to show that: (1) counsel's representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness, and (2) the deficiencies in counsel's representation caused Dawson actual prejudice. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2065, 2068. Counsel's efforts enjoy a strong presumption of reasonableness. Flamer, 585 A.2d at 753. Prejudice in this context is defined as a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Id. This Court has held that, for a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel to prevail, the defendant must make concrete allegations of actual prejudice and substantiate them or risk summary dismissal. See, e.g., Wright v. State, Del.Supr., 671 A.2d 1353, 1356 (1996). A review of Dawson's claims reveals that they are insufficient to meet the required showing of either prong of Strickland. In each instance, Dawson provides only conclusory statements that defense counsel acted unreasonably. No support is provided for these assertions and no explanation offered why counsel's actions were allegedly substandard. More significantly, Dawson fails to explain how he was prejudiced by the alleged deficiencies. Pursuant to this Court's holding in Wright, Younger and other cases, failure to state with particularity the nature of the prejudice experienced is fatal to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. See, e.g., Wright, 671 A.2d at 1356. Thus, the Superior Court was correct in denying Dawson's requested relief.