Opinion ID: 2044456
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Michele Ritza

Text: Defendant also contends that his attorney was ineffective for failing to investigate the existence of and to present Michele Ritza as a witness during the aggravation-mitigation phase of his sentencing hearing. Ritza has been defendant's friend since they were children. Her affidavit reveals that she would have testified that defendant is a decent and caring person. Further, she would have corroborated evidence that defendant has difficulty following conversations. Defendant's petition, however, never explains why trial counsel would have any reason to know that Ritza exists. Without some explanation from defendant as to why counsel would have been expected to know of Ritza and that she might be a favorable witness, we are simply unable to conclude that counsel's actions fell below an objective standard of reasonableness when he did not interview her. Consequently, we must conclude that the trial court did not err when it dismissed defendant's post-conviction petition without an evidentiary hearing.