Opinion ID: 2636786
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Was the appellant's trial counsel ineffective for failing to interview a potential witness?

Text: [¶ 10] When reviewing claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, we invoke a strong presumption that counsel rendered effective assistance, and we do not reverse unless counsel's performance so undermined the adversarial process that the results of the trial cannot be trusted. Guy v. State, 2008 WY 56, ¶ 25, 184 P.3d 687, 695 (2008). The appellant must prove both that counsel's performance was deficient, and that prejudice resulted. Montez v. State, 2009 WY 17, ¶ 3, 201 P.3d 434, 436 (2009). In the instant case, the appellant's argument in this regard must fail because it is premised upon his first argument. He alleges that his trial attorney was ineffective because he did not adequately investigate the case and did not call Mr. Agner as a witness. Inasmuch as we have already concluded that, at best, Agner would have been a neutral witness, we cannot conclude that defense counsel's failure or decision not to call him as a witness exhibited deficient performance, or that the appellant was prejudiced thereby. Not only was Agner's testimony evasive and not particularly helpful to the appellant, Agner also admitted on the stand that he had for some time gone by a different name because he was on the run from the law. The record reflects a witness who patently was not credible, and whose version of events was not particularly helpful to the appellant. Counsel did not provide ineffective assistance by failing to call him as a witness. [2]