Opinion ID: 2756888
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Court of appeals remands

Text: {¶ 42} On appeal, the court of appeals held that the trial court had erred in granting summary judgment to the state. 7th Dist. Mahoning No. 03-MA-12, 2004-Ohio-5357, ¶ 2, 115. The court reviewed the postconviction evidence that the defense presented in support of its ineffectiveness claim, id. at ¶ 70-91, and compared it with the meager amount of evidence that had been presented during mitigation, id. at ¶ 60-62. The court held that the trial court should not have rejected Herring’s arguments on the ground that trial counsel made a tactical decision to present only (minimal) positive mitigation evidence without first considering whether counsel had made an “intelligent strategic decision” after 12 January Term, 2014 conducting a proper investigation. Id. at ¶ 99-100, citing Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 396, 120 S.Ct. 1495, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000) (holding that counsel has the duty to conduct a thorough investigation of a capital defendant’s background). The appellate court further determined that “[t]here is little evidence herein documenting the extent of Appellant’s trial counsels’ reasoning for their investigative decisions.” Id. at ¶ 114. The court observed that “Hrdy’s affidavit is inconclusive as to whether Appellant’s trial counsel actually knew of Hrdy’s investigation’s deficiencies.” Id. at ¶ 102. {¶ 43} The court remanded the case to the trial court “to conduct an evidentiary hearing relative to Appellant’s trial counsels’ efforts in advance of their decision to present only Appellant’s positive mitigation history.” Id. at ¶ 114. The court added: “Without a hearing to determine the extent of the mitigation evidence before Appellant’s trial counsel and their investigative efforts, Appellant’s postconviction exhibits may simply present an alternative mitigation tactic.” Id. at ¶ 104. In ordering an evidentiary hearing, the court specifically directed the trial court to “assess whether Appellant’s counsel were apprized of Hrdy’s investigation’s shortcomings. Only then could counsel have made a reasoned decision to cease investigating.” Id. at ¶ 116.