Opinion ID: 1325306
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Place of Incarceration.

Text: Gray was tried in the City of Suffolk. Immediately after his arrest for capital murder, Gray was moved from the Suffolk City jail to the Newport News City jail. Several weeks before the trial, Gray was transferred to the Hampton City jail. Both the Newport News and Hampton jails are located within 45 miles of Suffolk. The record shows that security problems, including Gray's own safety, dictated that he not remain in the Suffolk City jail. Although Gray concedes that his counsel conferred in person with [him] on a frequent basis, he contends, nonetheless, that placing him in other locations when the Suffolk jail was available denied him effective assistance of counsel and due process in violation of the Federal Constitution. We do not agree. While Gray's incarceration in other jails was an inconvenience to his counsel, he was not denied access to counsel. Moreover, the court permitted Gray to remain at the Suffolk City jail for several hours on the evenings of the trial so his attorneys could consult with him. Nothing in the record supports his contention that his counsel was ineffective as a result of his incarceration outside of Suffolk.