Opinion ID: 1801055
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Was defendant deprived of effective assistance of counsel?

Text: Defendant contends he was denied effective assistance of counsel in the plea proceedings. The constitutional right to counsel means effective assistance of an attorney. Long v. Brewer, 253 N.W.2d 549, 553 (Iowa 1977); Zacek v. Brewer, 241 N.W.2d 41, 51 (Iowa 1976). Our test for reviewing challenges to effectiveness of counsel is well established: The test is whether in all the circumstances counsel's performance was within the range of normal competency. Moore v. United States, 432 F.2d 730, 737 (3d Cir. 1970). To warrant finding a deprivation of due process, such circumstances must include an affirmative factual basis demonstrating counsel's inadequacy of representation. In re Parker, 423 F.2d 1021, 1025 (8 Cir. 1970)  State v. Massey, 207 N.W.2d 777, 780 (Iowa 1973) See State v. Townsend, supra, 238 N.W.2d at 357; State v. Dee, 218 N.W.2d 561, 563 (Iowa 1974). Defendant has the burden to show ineffectiveness of counsel and that plea-related proceedings did not measure up to requisite fairness. Long v. Brewer, supra, 253 N.W.2d at 554. Trial court has no duty to investigate effectiveness. State v. Dee, supra, 218 N.W.2d at 563. The [Supreme] Court has placed a very heavy burden on one alleging incompetent advice, declining to find it even where both the defendant and his counsel were unaware at the time the plea was entered of substantial material facts or defenses.  Zacek v. Brewer, supra, 241 N.W.2d at 49, quoting United States v. Bluso, 519 F.2d 473, 474 (4th Cir. 1975) Our Zacek opinion, supra, 241 N.W.2d at 48, also quoted from McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 769-770, 90 S.Ct. 1441, 1448-1449, 25 L.Ed.2d 763, 772-773 (1970): As we said in Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. [742], at 756-757, 90 S.Ct. [1463], at 1473-1474, 25 L.Ed.2d 747, [at 761], the decision to plead guilty before the evidence is in frequently involves the making of difficult judgments. All the pertinent facts normally cannot be known unless witnesses are examined and cross-examined in court. Even then the truth will often be in dispute. In the face of unavoidable uncertainty, the defendant and his counsel must make their best judgment as to the weight of the State's case.    [A] decision to plead guilty must necessarily rest upon counsel's answers, uncertain as they may be. Waiving trial entails the inherent risk that the good-faith evaluations of a reasonably competent attorney will turn out to be mistaken either as to the facts or as to what a court's judgment might be on given facts. Defendant's lead district court counsel, an attorney of wide experience in the field of criminal law, has frequently and effectively represented defendants in criminal appeals in this court. We find defendant's complaints relating to his attorney to be without merit. This includes the assertion counsel should have presented an accidental shooting defense. As the facts ultimately unfolded, there was overwhelming evidence to show defendant entered the Quik Trip store armed with a 16-gauge shotgun he knew was loaded. The young attendant was talking on the telephone with his employer. Defendant had the gun aimed at him. Defendant said, get off the phone, then shot the attendant in the face from a distance of three or four feet. Defendant commanded a witness who had been shopping in the store, [r]un, you better run. Run. He then took the money from the cash register. While still in the store and after the shooting, defendant ejected the spent shell casing from the gun and pumped another round into the firing chamber. Defendant has failed to show his lawyer's alleged mistake, if any, in failing to present a possible accidental shooting defense substantially prejudiced defendant's rights. See Thomas v. Wyrick, 535 F.2d 407, 414 (8th Cir. 1976), cert. den. 429 U.S. 868, 97 S.Ct. 178, 50 L.Ed.2d 148 (1976); Long v. Brewer, supra, 253 N.W.2d at 558. There is no basis upon which to reasonably conclude a jury would have found other than did the sentencing court on the degree issue. Even if the defense had been a viable one, the decision whether it should be asserted was a strategic one which should not furnish grounds for reversal. See Long v. Brewer, supra, 253 N.W.2d at 558. We hold defendant was not denied effective assistance of counsel.