Opinion ID: 883492
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Was Bruce denied effective assistance of counsel?

Text: Bruce argues that he was denied effective assistance of counsel and therefore is entitled to a new trial. In considering ineffective assistance of counsel claims, this Court has adopted the two-pronged test set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Strickland v. Washington (1984), 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674. First, the defendant must show that counsel's performance was deficient. This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the counsel guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment. Second, the defendant must show that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. This requires showing that counsel's errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial, a trial whose result is reliable. Unless a defendant makes both showings, it cannot be said that the conviction or death sentence resulted from a breakdown in the adversary process that renders the result unreliable. State v. Denny (1993), 262 Mont. 248, 251-52, 865 P.2d 226, 228 (quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064). Bruce presents several allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel which we will address in turn.