Opinion ID: 1465675
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Failure to Develop Evidence of Relationship Between the Victim and Doyle Green

Text: Mr. Johnson next claims counsel was ineffective in failing to fully proffer testimony and other evidence of a relationship between the victim and Doyle Green, an African-American. Mr. Johnson claims such evidence would have contradicted the State's claim that the victim had no relationships with black men. See Johnson I, 326 Ark. at 447, 934 S.W.2d 179. Mr. Johnson also claimed that a DNA analysis would have combated the State's evidence if the negroid hairs positively matched Green or failed to exclude him. Trial counsel Buchanan testified that the matter was considered and rejected as a viable defense, and he made a strategic decision not to call Green. Again, trial tactics are not fodder for a Rule 37 petition. Noel v. State, supra ; Lee v. State, supra . Furthermore, it was not within the ambit of defense counsel's authority to force a DNA sample from Green, and we can find nothing in the record to indicate that the State had obtained Green's DNA for comparison. Therefore, to contend that the defense was deficient because there was no DNA evidence to impeach the State's evidence is unfounded. The circuit court is affirmed on this point as well.