Opinion ID: 2017830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Guilty Plea Proceedings

Text: Defendant contends that he received ineffective assistance of counsel during the plea proceedings based on his counsel's misapprehension of the law. In order to resolve this issue fully, we must set forth, in some detail, (i) defendant's allegations concerning his attorney's performance at the time the plea was entered, (ii) the evidence adduced at the evidentiary hearing, and (iii) the findings of fact made by the circuit court at the conclusion of the hearing. As we noted previously, defendant's postconviction petition, as amended, contained numerous claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel. In his affidavit filed in support of his amended petition, defendant alleged that on the morning of June 11, 1992, Hedrich came to his jail cell at the Bureau County jail and told him that defendant was to plead guilty to both the murder and aggravated kidnapping charges that were pending against him. Defendant claimed that Hedrich told him that if defendant did not waive the jury, he would get the death penalty. Moreover, defendant contended that Hedrich told him that if defendant did waive the jury, he would not get the death penalty and that he would get life in prison without parole and that `is better than death.' Defendant claimed that Hedrich told him that both J.D. Flood and Andrea Lyon told him to tell me that they wanted me to plead guilty. Defendant alleged that he would not have pled guilty if Hedrich had not lied to him about Flood's and Lyon's positions on the guilty plea because defendant did not have confidence in Hedrich. Moreover, defendant claimed that Hedrich did not tell him that defendant could have a judge hear the case instead of a jury. Defendant further maintained that he told Hedrich that he wanted to testify in his own behalf at the hearing held on defendant's motion to vacate. [3] The affidavit also contained an allegation from defendant in which he claimed that Hedrich told defendant that he (Hedrich) was intimidated by the State's Attorney. In rejecting the State's motion to dismiss, the circuit court noted that an evidentiary hearing was necessary with respect to defendant's claims concerning Hedrich's alleged lies to defendant prior to the entry of the guilty plea and Hedrich's alleged conflict of interest. The circuit court also wanted to conduct an inquiry into defendant's allegations that Hedrich mishandled defendant's motion to vacate. Defendant called various witnesses at the hearing. J.D. Flood, the Grundy County public defender, testified that in early January 1992 he was appointed to defendant's case as co-counsel to defendant's then-attorney, Bureau County Public Defender Matthew Maloney. Prior to that time, Flood had taken part in approximately 10 felony trials, 5 as first chair, and 5 as second chair. Flood spoke to defendant only once or twice before defendant entered his plea of guilty, mainly to get to know defendant and to discuss the circumstances of defendant's case with respect to the jurisdictional motion that the defense was preparing. Flood never discussed with defendant the option of pleading guilty to the charges, and defendant never solicited his views on the matter. Flood believed that the State had a strong case against defendant and felt that the defense's best chance for success in the case rested with the jurisdictional motion, because the State of Iowa does not have a death penalty. In Flood's view, Hedrich's advice to have defendant enter into a blind guilty plea was not good advice because the State was seeking the death penalty. According to Flood, after the June 11, 1992, guilty plea, Flood took the initiative and started preparing [the motion to vacate] immediately without any consultation or direction from defendant. At no point in the case did defendant ever tell Flood that defendant had changed his mind regarding the guilty plea. Flood testified that it was he and not Hedrich who had prepared defendant's motion to vacate the guilty plea. Defendant never mentioned to Flood that Hedrich told him that Andrea Lyon was in agreement with the decision to plead guilty. Flood stated that at the time he prepared the motion, he was unaware that defendant had been advised by Hedrich that Flood had concurred in the decision to plead guilty. Had Flood been aware of that fact, he would have included it in the motion as a another ground for vacating the plea. Defendant never complained to Flood about any lies that Hedrich may have told him during the discussion leading up to the guilty plea. Flood further testified that he advised defendant that he would not be calling defendant to testify at the motion to vacate. Flood believed that it would be inappropriate for defendant to take the stand because he did not want to subject defendant to cross-examination. Flood stated that Hedrich had no say on the motion to vacate or how it was litigated. Flood did not consider calling Hedrich as a witness at the hearing on the motion to vacate because he believed that Lyon's testimony, in conjunction with Hedrich's sworn affidavit, would be enough to cause Judge Hupp to vacate the plea. John Hedrich also testified at the hearing. Hedrich, who has been a licensed attorney since 1955, was appointed Bureau County public defender by the circuit court after the former public defender, Matthew Maloney, resigned the office in January 1992. Hedrich, who had been an assistant State's Attorney in the mid 1960s, admitted that he lacked felony experience and had litigated mostly misdemeanors and civil matters while at the State's Attorney's office. Indeed, Hedrich conceded that he did not feel qualified to represent a capital litigant because he lacked experience in the area. As a result, he attended seminars concerning death penalty litigation sponsored by the Capital Resource Center. Through these seminars he met Andrea Lyon, whom Hedrich considered an expert in capital litigation. Hedrich testified regarding his views on defendant's defense. According to Hedrich, the State had assembled a strong case of defendant's guilt. Defendant's statements to police had been accompanied by Miranda warnings, and defendant never complained of any police misconduct or coercion in their taking of the statements. The statements were corroborated by both physical and forensic evidence. Early in the course of Hedrich's representation, defendant told him that a satanic cult had been involved in the crimes. Hedrich investigated defendant's allegations, but could not find any evidence to support the claim. With respect to Hedrich's own thoughts regarding defense strategy, Hedrich considered the jurisdictional challenge to the murder charge to be the strongest legal argument and defense that defendant had against the charges. Hedrich believed that the State possessed overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt and that there was no realistic chance of an acquittal if the case went to trial. In fact, after discussing matters with J.D. Flood and Andrea Lyon, Hedrich felt that the case revolved around two issuesthe jurisdictional question and, if that proved unsuccessful, the defense's attempt to save defendant's life at the sentencing stage of the proceedings. [4] Hedrich testified that, prior to June 11, 1992, he had met with the State's Attorney, Marc Bernabei, and had discussed the possibility of a plea. Hedrich told defendant that Bernabei would not agree to any sentence other than death in the case. During his discussion with defendant concerning the entry of the guilty plea, defendant never asked Hedrich what either Andrea Lyon or J.D. Flood thought of the strategy. Hedrich denied telling defendant that Flood and Lyon told him to tell defendant that they wanted defendant to plead guilty. On June 16, 1992, Hedrich met with Andrea Lyon and told her about the guilty plea. Lyon advised Hedrich that the guilty plea was ill-advised because by pleading guilty defendant had nothing left to bargain with and that the plea waived arguments such as jurisdiction. Based on Lyon's opinion, Hedrich decided that defendant should move to vacate the plea, and he put Flood in charge of preparing the motion. Defendant's motion to vacate was subsequently filed on June 22, 1992. Hedrich testified about an altercation that occurred between him and Bernabei on June 28, 1992, in Judge Wampler's chambers. At the time, Bernabei unloaded a torrent of abusive language on Hedrich regarding the motion to vacate. According to Hedrich, Bernabei got up out of his chair, came over and grabbed me by the muscles, upper muscles in both arms and shook me and shouted at me. Hedrich was shocked by Bernabei's conduct and was angered by the unprofessionalism of his conduct. Hedrich did not feel threatened by the incident or by Bernabei, but did feel angry. As a result of the encounter, Hedrich determined to maintain a physical distance from Bernabei so that he would not get shaken again. During his direct examination, Hedrich was asked to explain why he advised defendant to plead guilty. The following was the first colloquy on the subject: Q. Okay. Can you please tell Judge Lanuti why you told [defendant] you were going to plead guilty. Tell Judge Lanuti your reason for that? A. Well, yes, we were going to have a jury in and they were going, if we tried it, they were going to go through the whole thing and then if they found him guilty, which was pretty certain, then they were going to have another hearing to decide on the punishment and I said, well, it would be better that they don't hear all this twice, it's better they hear it once. Q. Did you know that you could have had a bench trial hear the case in chief and if there was a guilty you could have had the jury then impaneled, as was impaneled, to hear the aggravation and mitigation and the death qualified stage? Did you know that at the time? A. No, I didn't think of it, I didn't discuss it, I didn't discuss it. Hedrich further stated that he and Flood discussed at length whether it would be better for a jury or the trial judge, Judge Hupp, to decide death eligibility and aggravation/mitigation. According to Hedrich, Flood was more familiar with Judge Hupp and Flood felt that we better do aggravation and mitigation before the jury rather than Judge Hupp. Hedrich's testimony was interrupted at this point to accommodate the schedule of another testifying witness. When Hedrich returned to the stand, the matter was broached again: Q. Thank you. Can you tell me, sir, I'm trying to pick up where we left off, can you tell Judge Lanuti why you plead [defendant] guilty? A. Well, it appeared that there wasn't any sense in the trial and he was going to be found guilty anyway and I didn't think there was any sense in going through it twice in front of a jury who is going to, I guess by that time we determined that the jury was going to hear the aggravation and mitigation. Hedrich also stated that he advised the guilty plea because it allowed the defense more time to prepare in mitigation. He also considered the move to be an attempt to get the jury to do something other than impose the death penalty. Defendant also testified in his own behalf at the hearing. Defendant stated that he was more comfortable with Flood and Andrea Lyon than he was with Hedrich because Hedrich had told defendant that he did not know what he was doing. According to defendant, Hedrich told him that, if defendant pleaded guilty, he would not receive the death penalty. Defendant believed that a deal had been reached between Hedrich and the State. Defendant further testified that when Hedrich advised him to plead guilty, defendant specifically asked him what Flood's and Lyon's positions were on the matter and that Hedrich told him that both of them had agreed to it. Although defendant had never met Lyon, he testified that he put high importance on her opinion. Defendant would not have pleaded guilty if he had known that Flood and Lyon were against it. Defendant maintained during the course of his testimony that he did not understand the ramifications of his decision to plead guilty when he did so in open court on June 11, 1992. Although defendant acknowledged that he had told Judge Hupp in open court that he understood the consequences of pleading guilty and that he was doing so voluntarily, defendant testified that he had not been truthful in those responses. This was so, defendant explained, because Hedrich had previously instructed defendant as to what he was to say and do when Judge Hupp addressed him. According to defendant, Hedrich instructed defendant that defendant was to tell the judge yes sir when Hedrich shook his head yes and that defendant was to tell the judge no when Hedrich shook his head no. Defendant stated that as a result of these instructions, he did not truly understand any of the consequences of entering a plea of guilty in open court. Defendant testified that after he had pleaded guilty, he spoke with both Flood and Lyon and they told him that they did not agree with the decision to plead guilty. Defendant also maintained that he told Hedrich that he wanted to testify at the motion to vacate because he wanted to explain why he told jailers James Reed and Tim Wren that he did not want to withdraw his guilty plea. According to defendant's postconviction testimony, defendant did, in fact, tell both men that he did not want to withdraw his plea. However, defendant stated that he had lied to them in an attempt to curry favor with them. On cross-examination, defendant acknowledged that when he pled guilty before Judge Hupp, he understood that he was giving up his right to have a trial, but that he nonetheless lied to the judge during the plea proceeding because defendant answered all of the judge's questions in the manner in which Hedrich coached him. Hedrich would communicate to defendant with either a nod yes or a nod no while he, Hedrich, and Bernabei were standing in front of the judge's bench. Defendant acknowledged that his plea of guilty in this case was not the first time he had pleaded guilty to charges before a judge. Defendant claimed, however, that in the prior case, just as in the present case, his lawyer had instructed him in the same manner that Hedrich had. Defendant further acknowledged that he was in the courtroom on the occasions when the prosecutor announced that the State would be seeking the death penalty in the case. Defendant was aware that the State's Attorney would not be making any deal with the defense in which defendant would receive a sentence other than death. Defendant admitted that he told Hedrich that a satanic cult was responsible for the victim's death and also told police the same story while he was in custody in the Bureau County jail, but that the story was not true. Defendant testified that he informed Flood that Hedrich had told defendant that Flood also wanted defendant to plead guilty. Defendant, when he pleaded guilty on June 11, 1992, knew that he was facing a trial date of June 22, 1992, and that it was a matter of record that the circuit court would not allow another delay unless something happened. Defendant discussed the evidence against him with his attorneys and with the investigator assigned to assist in the case. Defendant admitted that he knew what the evidence was that the State would use against him and knew that the State had a strong case against him. At the conclusion of the hearing, the circuit court made a lengthy ruling on the contentions raised by defendant. The court first resolved defendant's claim regarding Hedrich's alleged conflict of interest. The court found that an altercation had taken place between Hedrich and Bernabei in one of the judge's chambers in the courthouse. The circuit court ruled that although Hedrich had concerns regarding Bernabei's stability as a result of this episode, there was no credible evidence that the altercation affected Hedrich's handling of defendant's case. Indeed, the court concluded that the record showed that defendant's motion to vacate, which had been the cause of the altercation, had been litigated fully the very next day. Moreover, the evidence revealed that the motion was prepared by attorney Flood and was litigated solely by him so that Hedrich was not involved in the handling of the motion and, as such, Hedrich was not in a position to affect litigation of the motion because of any intimidation. The circuit court, accordingly, ruled that the evidence presented by defendant failed to show that the altercation had any prejudicial effect on the proceedings. The circuit court then addressed defendant's remaining claims and noted that it considered the credibility of each of the witnesses who had testified. The court specifically stated that it did not consider defendant's status as a petitioner with a motive in its assessment of credibility. In other words, the court did not find defendant less credible simply because of his status as a defendant. With respect to defendant's claim that he requested to testify at the hearing on the motion to vacate, the court found that defendant's testimony was at odds with defendant's sworn affidavits. Specifically, the circuit court noted the following: Now in his affidavit and testimony, the defendant has indicated that he requested to testify during the motion to vacate his guilty plea. There is a conflict, however, between his affidavits. In the first affidavit filed with his pro se motion to vacate the guilty plea [ sic ], he indicated that he requested to testify during the final arguments of the prosecutor. [5] In his subsequent affidavit filed in his amended post-conviction petition, the defendant inferred that his request to testify was during the actual testimony of James Reed and Troy Wren. In his affidavit, the defendant indicated that he told Attorney Hedrich that he wanted to testify. That he'd testify Reed and Wren were lying and that he had never made statements to them that he did not want to withdraw his guilty plea. Now, at the hearing before this Court, the defendant has admitted that this affidavit is false. He now states that he did make a statement to Reed and Wren but the reason he wanted to testify was to explain them to the judge. Now, beginning with the obvious fact that the defendant's admission of a false affidavit casts doubts on credibility, it also raises the following issues. First, J.D. Flood testified he was running the hearing on the motion to vacate. Why would not the defendant ask Flood if he wanted to testify instead of directing his comments to Hedrich? Flood does not recall any such request from the defendant. The Court also does not find that the seating arrangement at counsel table presented any obstacle to the defendant's speaking to Flood. Also, Flood testified it was his decision not to call [defendant] to the stand because he did not want the State's Attorney to have an opportunity to cross-examine him.    And finally, was it ineffective not to have the defendant testify at this hearing? He would have gotten on the stand and verified that the State's witnesses were telling the truth and he had made such a statement. He would then had [ sic ] to tell the Court that he was lying to the State's witnesses when he made the statement. He would have then had to argue to the judge to believe that his earlier statements had been a lie but his testimony now is the truth. Would this likely have changed the results of the motion to vacate the guilty plea even if such a request was made? The Court finds as follows: Court finds that there was never a demand to testify made. There may have been some discussion but the defendant never made an outright demand to either lawyer to testify. Second, it was not ineffective not to call the defendant to the stand since he would have corroborated the State's witnesses and admitted his own lies. In making these rulings, the circuit court specifically found Hedrich to be a credible witness, who was willing to admit to his own shortcomings, perhaps too readily. The court further found that Hedrich was willing to admit if he doesn't recall specific details of conversations. The court found it interesting that these are the precise areas where [defendant] is attempting to fill in the gaps and claim ineffective assistance of counsel. The court concluded that there was no evidence that defendant was in any way prevented from testifying at the hearing and that, in sum, defendant failed to prove facts that demonstrated a constitutional violation stemming from defendant's not testifying at the hearing on the motion to vacate. The circuit court next addressed defendant's claims that defendant received ineffective assistance of counsel with respect to the entry of the guilty plea because of Hedrich's alleged lies to defendant. The court noted that the basis of defendant's claim was the misrepresentation Hedrich allegedly made to defendant concerning the position of J.D. Flood and Andrea Lyon on the guilty plea. The circuit court made the following findings in this respect: Now, Attorney John Hedrich has not admitted any misrepresentation but has testified that he discussed the guilty plea with Flood. He also testified that he advised the defendant to plead guilty. Hedrich did not recall the defendant initiating any inquiry about Flood or Lyon's position which is in contradiction to the defendant's testimony. Hedrich also felt the defendant pled guilty knowingly, although he doesn't specifically recall the entire conversation. Hedrich denied the specific allegation in paragraph one of the defendant's affidavit attached to the amended post-conviction petition. Now, in his petition for post-conviction relief and his amended petitions, the defendant at no time made any claim that he failed to understand the admonitions and conversation that he was having with Judge Hupp at the time of the plea of guilty. Rather, his position was that since misrepresentations had been made behind the scenes, that his plea was in a sense involuntary. Now at this hearing, however, the defendant has decided to have his cake and eat it, too. Not only is he claiming that misrepresentations induced him to plead guilty, he now testifies he didn't understand anything that was going on during the plea of guilty. Now, in their written closing arguments the State has gone in [ sic ] detail through the guilty plea that took place in open court. The plea contains numerous statements by the defendant in which he indicated to the Court he understood the nature of the charges, his rights involved, the possible penalties, and that no promise or threats had been made in order for him to plead guilty. As was pointed out in the defendant's cross-examination, the defendant did not simply answer yes or no. At times he even pointed out to the Court and to counsel areas that had already been covered. The defendant would have this Court believe that he understood none of these matters and was simply mimicking signals he was receiving from his attorney. Not only has his attorney denied that, it is ludicrous for this Court to believe that a trial judge on a plea of this length and detail would not recognize signals going back and forth between an attorney and a defendant who were standing within inches of him in front of the bench.    The defendant's testimony that he did not understand the proceedings in open court on the day of the plea and that he was being given signals from his attorney and that he had been promised a life sentence in return for a plea of guilty simply are not credible. They are totally contradicted by the record of the plea and by the testimony of Mr. Hedrich. The redirect testimony of the defendant, which I will not repeat in detail, should be illuminating for any court reviewing this matter. The defendant was asked a series of leading questions which helped his position. He willingly and quickly responded in the affirmative to them. On the other hand, when the defendant was confronted with the more difficult questions on cross-examination by the State's Attorney, he was more evasive, deliberate, and inconsistent in his answers. It was clear to this Court in observing defendant's demeanor and manner in answering questions that the defendant is certainly able to understand the proceedings that are going on and the issues before this Court.    It is hard for this Court to believe that the defendant did not understand what was going on in open court on June 11, 1992. The defendant understood he was pleading guilty. He understood he was confronted with strong evidence. He understood the possible penalties involved and made a decision to plead guilty. The defendant is simply lying when he testifies that he did not understand the court proceedings on June 11. If his post-conviction petition affidavits are true, the defendant wanted to plead guilty and understood he was pleading guilty, but doing it based on a misrepresentation. That has been totally contradicted by his testimony at this hearing where he now says he didn't understand the proceedings at all. It appears to the Court that he was making up his testimony as he went along. Now, returning to the original claim that certain misrepresentations regarding the position of Flood and Lyon were made to him prior to the guilty plea, as this Court has previously stated, the defendant has the burden of proving that this took place. Hedrich does not recall any such conversation. The only other person to the conversation was the defendant. This Court, however, has already determined that the defendant's testimony is not to be believed on the issue of the guilty plea and the defendant has already admitted to lying on his affidavit that he filed in the post-conviction petition. The defendant, accordingly, is not a credible witness. The Court does not have to accept his testimony simply because no one else has contradicted it. The court went on to note that defendant's testimony regarding Hedrich's alleged lies was further contradicted by the fact that defendant never made any attempt to raise the misrepresentations sooner, despite the fact that defendant presented issues regarding the motion to vacate the guilty plea centering on Andrea Lyon in later motions filed in a postsentencing motion. The court found that defendant failed to prove that any misrepresentations were made to him. Moreover, the court concluded that defendant failed to prove that any misrepresentations made to him were the basis of his guilty plea. The court found defendant's plea was voluntarily made with complete understanding of what the possible penalties were and what his rights were. It is against the foregoing factual backdrop that we address defendant's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel with respect to his guilty plea. Defendant makes no attempt in this court to specifically challenge the majority of the circuit court's findings from the evidentiary hearing, i.e., (i) that Hedrich lied to him regarding Flood's and Lyon's positions on the guilty plea, (ii) that defendant told Hedrich he wanted to testify at the motion to vacate, and (iii) that Hedrich labored under a conflict of interest. Rather, defendant contends that his convictions must be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial because, as a result of Hedrich's legal misapprehension, Hedrich failed to explain to defendant that the law allowed him to have the trial judge hear the guilt phase of the trial instead of a jury. Defendant argues Hedrich provided ineffective assistance of counsel because Hedrich's goalto avoid having the jury hear the evidence twicecould have been achieved without defendant's giving up his right to trial. At the outset, we note that defendant urges this court to first examine Hedrich's utter lack of qualifications and experience and his repeated acts of incompetence before we examine specifically the improper advice Hedrich gave to defendant during the plea discussions. According to defendant, these other considerations will impact our resolution of the claim. We acknowledge that Hedrich admitted to having had no experience in capital litigation. Defendant points to Hedrich's lack of qualifications and notes that the trial judge recognized this fact by appointing Flood to assist Hedrich. Defendant's assertion is incorrect, however, because the record affirmatively establishes that the circuit court appointed Flood co-counsel in this case before Hedrich was even appointed. Flood was appointed to serve as co-counsel to Hedrich's predecessor, Matthew Maloney. Therefore, we disagree with defendant's intimation that Flood was appointed as compensation for Hedrich's shortcomings. Moreover, we will not consider the repeated acts of incompetence that defendant claims Hedrich allegedly committed that do not relate to the plea discussions Hedrich had with defendant and that have no bearing on whether defendant's plea was entered into knowingly and intelligently. Instead, we focus on the argument that defendant has raised in this appeal, namely, whether the mistaken advice constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel such that reversal is required. Challenges to guilty pleas which allege ineffective assistance of counsel are subject to the standard set forth in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 57, 106 S.Ct. 366, 369-70, 88 L.Ed.2d 203, 209 (1985); People v. Huante, 143 Ill.2d 61, 67, 156 Ill.Dec. 756, 571 N.E.2d 736 (1991). Counsel's conduct is deficient under Strickland if the attorney failed to ensure that the defendant entered the plea voluntarily and intelligently. Huante, 143 Ill.2d at 69, 156 Ill.Dec. 756, 571 N.E.2d 736. To establish prejudice, a defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted on going to trial. Hill, 474 U.S. at 59, 106 S.Ct. at 370, 88 L.Ed.2d at 210. With respect to the first Strickland prong, we will assume for purposes of this appeal that Hedrich was deficient in not realizing that the option existed for a bench trial during the guilt/innocence phase of the proceedings. We note, however, that defendant's postconviction testimony reveals that when defendant was asked whether he understood that the right to trial included both the right to have either a judge or a jury hear the case, his answers varied. In some instances, defendant responded that he did not understand that, but in other instances he responded that he did. In this respect, we agree with the circuit court's ruling that the defendant's testimony was oftentimes evasive and inconsistent. Therefore, it could be said that regardless of Hedrich's legal misapprehension, defendant did indeed know of the right to have a judge decide the guilt phase and his plea was knowingly made. However, because the testimony is equivocal, we will give defendant the benefit of the doubt and will assume that defendant did not know he could have chosen to have a judge determine his guilt. Therefore, we turn to whether defendant was prejudiced by the Hedrich's legal mistake. In other words, we must determine whether there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's errors, he would not have pleaded guilty and would have insisted on going to trial. Hill, 474 U.S. at 59, 106 S.Ct. at 370, 88 L.Ed.2d at 210. Courts have stressed that the prejudice prong of the Hill-Strickland test may pose a difficulty in some cases because it is by no means obvious how a court is to determine the probability that a defendant would have gone to trial. The United States Supreme Court noted that a showing that the ineffective performance affected the outcome of the plea process is required. See Hill, 474 U.S. at 59-60, 106 S.Ct. at 370-71, 88 L.Ed.2d at 210-11. However, a bare allegation that had counsel not been deficient during plea discussions, defendant would have pleaded differently and gone to trial is not enough to establish prejudice. Key v. United States, 806 F.2d 133, 139 (7th Cir.1986); accord Huante, 143 Ill.2d at 73, 156 Ill.Dec. 756, 571 N.E.2d 736; Gargano v. United States, 852 F.2d 886, 891 (7th Cir.1988). Hedrich admitted to his erroneous legal interpretation during his testimony, which was heard in open court on December 5, 1996. Defendant testified on his own behalf on December 6, 1996. Despite the fact that Hedrich's mistaken advice was a matter of record, defendant never stated in his testimony that, had Hedrich correctly advised him about his right to have a judge hear the evidence during the guilt phase of the proceedings, defendant would not have pleaded guilty and would have instead insisted on going to trial, regardless of what other additional considerations might have motivated him to plead guilty. Indeed, at no point in his testimony did defendant assert or intimate anything that would support such a conclusion. Rather, defendant stated under oath that he put no importance on the opinion or advice of Hedrich. Notwithstanding the above, defendant argues on appeal that he was prejudiced because he would not have pleaded guilty had he known that he could have had a judge determine his guilt at a bench trial and still have had a jury decide sentencing. As we have pointed out, however, a defendant alleging ineffective assistance of counsel during plea proceedings must still establish prejudice. The bare allegation that, but for the mistaken advice, a defendant would have insisted on trial, without something more, is not enough. Standing alone, such an allegation is subjective, self-serving, and    insufficient to satisfy the Strickland requirement for prejudice. Turner v. Tennessee, 858 F.2d 1201, 1206 (6th Cir.1988), vacated on other grounds, 492 U.S. 902, 109 S.Ct. 3208, 106 L.Ed.2d 559 (1989). As the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has noted, [Appellant's] self-serving statements that, but for his counsel's inadequate advice he would have pleaded not guilty, unaccompanied by either a claim of innocence or the articulation of any plausible defense that he could have raised had he opted for a trial, is insufficient to demonstrate the required prejudice. (Emphasis added.) United States v. La-Bonte, 70 F.3d 1396, 1413 (1st Cir.1995), rev'd on other grounds, 520 U.S. 751, 117 S.Ct. 1673, 137 L.Ed.2d 1001 (1997). We believe that the same conclusion obtains in this case. Defendant does not now allege that he is innocent, nor does he claim to have any plausible defense that he could have raised had he chosen a bench trial. At oral argument defense counsel maintained that the entry of the guilty plea precluded defendant from investigating a viable defense with respect to defendant's sanity. However, at no point in these postconviction proceedings has defendant sought to establish what such an investigation would have produced. Our review of the total record in this case convinces us that this is not a case in which psychiatric and psychological evidence was totally lacking. As we detailed previously, several mental health practitioners testified upon defendant's behalf at the sentencing hearing. This testimony should have served as the basis for further exploration by postconviction counsel of any potentially viable insanity defense that was precluded by Hedrich's improper guilty plea advice. Indeed, at oral argument the following question was asked of counsel: During the time since the plea, has there been any evidence unearthered that would have suggested in any way that there would have been an insanity defense? Counsel replied in the negative. We further note that during the plea proceedings, defendant admitted to kidnapping Kahla and driving her across state lines where he sexually assaulted and ultimately strangled her, and he has never repudiated those sworn admissions. Thus, defendant `does not maintain ... that he is innocent of the charges in the indictment, or that a plausible defense to those charges exist[s].' Czere v. Butler, 833 F.2d 59, 64 (5th Cir.1987), quoting United States v. Sutton, 794 F.2d 1415, 1422 (9th Cir.1986). Given these facts, defendant has not established the prejudice required under Strickland. We have carefully reviewed all of the transcripts in this case, from both the original trial and subsequent postconviction proceedings. Defendant was apprised of his constitutional rights and the range of sentences that he faced upon conviction for each of the crimes with which he was charged in several court appearances in addition to the guilty plea proceeding. The State made clear its intent to seek the death penalty from its earliest court appearances. Defendant's own postconviction testimony supports the conclusion that defendant was aware of all of this when he entered into his plea. Our review of the record also convinces us that defendant was not as passive a participant in the proceedings, as he would now have this court believe. On the contrary, defendant had the wherewithal to take the initiative and look out for his own interests, as his December 9, 1991, letter to the trial judge complaining about his appointed counsel (Maloney, at that time) clearly demonstrates. The record further shows that defendant is not beneath lying to police and his own legal representativeshis claim of the involvement of a satanic cult in the crimes at issue and his subsequent testimony that this was a lie stand as a testament to that fact, as does his admission that he lied to jailers in an attempt to curry favor. Our review of the plea proceedings indicates that defendant was paying attention to Judge Hupp and was following the plea proceedings independent of any coaching from Hedrich. Defendant's unsolicited responses and interaction with the judge are evidence of that fact, notwithstanding defendant's postconviction assertion that he was merely mimicking signals given to him from Hedrich. We also point out that the testimony from the defendant's jailers and guards provided yet another perspective into defendant's demeanor and awareness. Each one indicated that defendant talked about the proceedings with him in a manner that indicated to him that defendant understood the nature of the charges against him and the proceedings he was facing. Finally, we cannot ignore the varying and, at times, somewhat inconsistent positions that defendant has taken during the course of these postconviction proceedings. In his postconviction pleadings, defendant alleged simply that Hedrich had lied to him regarding Flood's and Lyon's concurrences in the decision to plead guilty and, in light of that fact, his guilty plea was in essence involuntary. During his testimony at the postconviction evidentiary hearing, defendant maintained that he put no importance on the opinion or advice of Hedrich and that the single element which led him to plead guilty was the fact that Hedrich told him that Flood and Lyon wanted him to do so. Now, in this appeal, defendant drops all reference to the purported lies Hedrich told him during their plea discussions and instead focuses on the fact that he was misadvised by Hedrich during those discussions. We note that to grant defendant a new trial in this case would require this court to conclude that defendant relied upon advice from a lawyer whom defendant swore under oath not to have relied upon. Defendant's frequent changes of position, as evinced in this record, are damaging to the credibility of his claims and cannot be disregarded. Defendant's story changes to suit the exigencies of the moment. In light of all of these facts, we disagree with defendant that great doubt exists about whether defendant knowingly pleaded guilty, notwithstanding Hedrich's mistaken belief regarding the availability of a bench trial during the guilt phase of the trial. After considering the record in its entirety, including all of the testimony adduced at the postconviction evidentiary hearing, we agree with the circuit court's finding that defendant entered into the plea in order to use his admission of guilt to gain leniency from the sentencing jury. Thus, we are satisfied that defendant entered his plea knowingly and intelligently, such that our confidence in the outcome is not undermined. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068, 80 L.Ed.2d at 698.