Opinion ID: 1295265
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Denial of Postconviction Relief and Purported Failure to Find Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel.

Text: Bao asserts that the district court erred in rejecting his various claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel and in therefore denying postconviction relief. We conclude that the court did not err in rejecting Bao's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. In its July 16, 2003, order dismissing Bao's motion for postconviction relief, the district court rejected Bao's four claims of ineffective assistance of counsel outlined above. For his first claim, Bao asserted that trial counsel failed to have Bao evaluated and to pursue a defense based on mental health. With respect to the first claim, the court noted that the testimony of a mental health expert presented by Bao in the postconviction hearing showed only that Bao was more prone to violent behavior, not that he did not know what he was doing at the time of the act itself. The court concluded that such testimony would not have caused the jury to find that Bao did not have the required intent and that therefore Bao did not establish prejudice from trial counsel's purported failure to pursue such testimony. For his second claim, Bao asserted that trial counsel improperly based the defense solely on the theory that Bao was justified in using deadly force. With respect to the second claim, the court noted that the record of the trial was not at all clear that the only defense raised by Bao [at trial] was that the shooting was justified and concluded that even if it were the only defense presented, Bao did not establish that trial counsel's performance was deficient for making the reasonable strategic decision to rely on a theory of self-defense. For his third claim, Bao asserted that trial counsel failed to urge that Bao was guilty of sudden quarrel manslaughter rather than murder. With respect to the third claim, the court found that Bao failed to establish his claim of deficient performance because the trial record contradicted Bao's assertion that trial counsel failed to suggest or argue that the jury could find Bao guilty of sudden quarrel manslaughter rather than first degree murder. The court specifically noted that Bao could not establish prejudice resulting from any purported failure with respect to the sudden quarrel manslaughter theory because under the step instruction given to the jury, the jury would not have considered manslaughter after it found Bao guilty of first degree murder. For his fourth claim, Bao asserted that the performance of one of his attorneys was affected by alcohol use. With respect to the fourth claim, the court concluded that Bao failed to show prejudice because he failed to establish that the attorney's alcohol problem manifested itself at trial or affected the outcome of the trial in any way. [6-9] In reviewing the district court's order rejecting Bao's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, we are guided by the following standards. In order to establish a right to postconviction relief based on a claim of ineffective counsel, the defendant has the burden to show that counsel's performance was deficient; that is, counsel's performance did not equal that of a lawyer with ordinary training and skill in criminal law in the area. The defendant must also show that counsel's deficient performance prejudiced the defense in his or her case. State v. McHenry, 268 Neb. 219, 682 N.W.2d 212 (2004). The two prongs of this test, deficient performance and prejudice, may be addressed in either order. Id. In order to show prejudice, the defendant must demonstrate a reasonable probability that but for counsel's deficient performance, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Id. In determining whether trial counsel's performance was deficient, there is a strong presumption that such counsel acted reasonably. Id. When reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, an appellate court will not second-guess reasonable strategic decisions by counsel. Id. After reviewing the law and the record, we find no error in the district court's conclusions that Bao failed to establish either deficient performance or prejudice with respect to each of his claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. We therefore conclude that the court did not err in denying Bao's motion for postconviction relief on the bases asserted above.