Opinion ID: 6109557
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to call Margaret Walsh as a witness

Text: Margaret Walsh is the technician who performed blood analysis testing on the clothing Mr. McFadden was wearing when he was arrested. Mr. McFadden claims Ms. Walsh's failure to find blood on his clothes, even though Leslie was shot at close range, was exculpatory. But Mr. McFadden was not arrested until two days after the shooting. Defense counsel testified at the postconviction hearing that, in weighing the minimal impeachment value against the risk of cross-examination by the State, they decided against calling her as a witness. The motion court did not clearly err in finding defense counsel used a reasonable trial strategy in not calling Ms. Walsh absent a showing Mr. McFadden was wearing the same clothes at the time of shooting or had not washed them.