Opinion ID: 32029
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Ineffective Assistance Claim: Trial Counsel

Text: To demonstrate that he received ineffective assistance at trial, a defendant must show, under the two-prong test enunciated in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984), that counsel’s assistance was deficient and that the deficiency prejudiced his defense. A failure to establish either deficient performance or resulting prejudice defeats the claim. Id. at 697. To demonstrate a deficient performance, a defendant must show that “counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the ‘counsel’ guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment.” Id. at 687. To demonstrate prejudice, a defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different, id. at 694, and that counsel’s errors were so serious 19 that they rendered the proceedings unfair or the result unreliable. Lockhart v. Fretwell, 506 U.S. 364, 372 (1993). As claims of ineffective assistance of counsel involve mixed questions of law and fact, they are governed by the standards set forth in § 2254(d)(1). See Briseno v. Cockrell, 274 F.3d 204, 206-08 (5th Cir. 2001). Wilson argues first that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing “to gather the probable cause affidavits that were a matter of public record.” He insists that in one of the probable cause affidavits, there is a reference to an individual named “Gun.” Wilson contends that “Gun” was a member of a gang called the Bloods. This claim is at best conclusional. Wilson fails entirely to explain how counsel’s failure to gather the affidavits and to ascertain that one or more of them contained references to “Gun” would have altered the outcome of trial. Conclusional allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel are insufficient to establish habeas relief. Miller v. Johnson, 200 F.3d 274, 282 (5th Cir. 2000). Here the defense was well aware of “Gun,” knew that the search warrant referenced someone with the nickname “Gun,” and knew that “Gun” was, or might have been, a member of the Bloods. This claim is without merit. Wilson next advances a one-sentence argument that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a charge on the lesser-included offense of murder. In a capital case, the jury 20 must be permitted to consider a verdict of guilt of a noncapital offense when the evidence presented would support such a verdict. Beck v. Alabama, 447 U.S. 625, 634-38 (1980). Accordingly, a “defendant is entitled to an instruction on a lesser included offense if the evidence would permit a jury rationally to find him guilty of the lesser offense and acquit him of the greater.” Id. at 635 (citations omitted); see Cordova v. Lynaugh, 838 F.2d 764, 767 (5th Cir. 1988). In Beck, the Court reasoned that precluding the jury from convicting a defendant of a non-capital offense, thereby forcing either conviction of a capital offense or acquittal, undermines the reliability of the jury’s verdict. Beck, 447 U.S. at 637, 642-43. The mandatory instruction on a lesser included noncapital offense provides a third option as a safeguard against the risk of an “all or nothing” jury verdict on the capital offense. Id.; see also Spaziano v. Florida, 468 U.S. 447, 455 (1984). We have held that when a claim turns on application of state law rather than federal law, a jury instruction on lesser included offenses is mandated if, under state law as applied to the facts of the case, a rational juror could vote to convict the defendant of the lesser offense and to acquit on the greater. Hill v. Black, 932 F.2d 369, 374 (5th Cir. 1991). In Texas, murder is a lesser included offense of capital murder. TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 19.03(c). Nonetheless, Wilson has failed to direct our attention to any evidence in the record that would support a verdict of murder. 21 Wilson’s bald assertion that a lesser-offense instruction was warranted is insufficient to earn him habeas relief. See Koch v. Puckett, 907 F.2d 524, 530 (5th Cir. 1990) (conclusional allegations insufficient to warrant § 2254 relief). As Wilson cannot show that he was entitled to a lesser-included-offense instruction, he fails to demonstrate that counsel was ineffective for failing to request such an instruction. Furthermore, a lesser-included-offense instruction for murder would have been inconsistent with the defense theory that Wilson did not murder Jerry Williams; that instead he was killed by “Gun” or someone else at “Gun’s” direction. Thus, in addition to lack of entitlement, the failure of counsel to request a murder instruction was a legitimate strategic choice, on its own sufficient to eschew deficient performance. See Turner v. Johnson, 106 F.3d 1178, 1187 & n.40 (5th Cir. 1997). Wilson’s next ineffective-assistance claim is that trial counsel performed deficiently when he “showed up at jail and improperly pressured a material witness to change his story.” Wilson contends that this “evidence was repeatedly argued by the State during its closing arguments.” Wilson confusingly argues that the “fact that the jury was to consider future dangerousness when coupled with these jailhouse visits, surely prejudiced” his rights. Following the homicide, the material witness, Lavergne, identified Lewis in a photographic line-up and told law enforcement 22 agents that the man he identified in the photo was the “‘helper’” rather than the “primary actor.” Wilson, 7 S.W.3d at 140. According to Lavergne, the other man, who Lavergne described as having a “‘gerry curl,’” made the threats and conducted most of the beatings. When the same photograph of Lewis was shown to Lavergne at trial, however, he testified that the person pictured was the one with the gerry curl and hence the primary actor, even though Lavergne had identified Lewis as the “helper” rather than the primary actor when he was shown the picture of Lewis at Wilson’s first trial. This contradiction in Lavergne’s testimony prompted further questioning which eventually revealed that defense counsel had visited Lavergne three times while he was in jail on an unrelated offense. This revelation allowed the State to suggest that defense counsel had pressured Lavergne to change his testimony with regard to who was the primary actor. The State was also able to elicit the facts that (1) outside the presence of the prosecutor, defense counsel had shown Lavergne a photographic line-up; and (2) Wilson was present on this occasion and asked Lavergne for his father’s name and whether he had a new baby. Lavergne testified that Wilson’s questions scared and intimidated him “[a] little bit.” Defense counsel’s meetings with Lavergne were reiterated during the State’s closing arguments. Even if we assume that Wilson’s trial counsel had attempted to alter Lavergne’s testimony, Wilson does not argue that, but for 23 counsel’s engaging in such behavior, he (Wilson) would not have been found guilty of capital murder or, even if found guilty, he would not have been sentenced to death. All that Wilson asserts is the bald conclusion that his “rights” were “prejudiced.” In addition, Wilson’s argument —— that counsel’s jailhouse visits, when coupled with the issue of future dangerousness, established prejudice —— is nonsensical. Again, conclusional allegations of prejudice are insufficient to establish ineffective assistance of counsel. See Green v. Johnson, 160 F.3d 1029, 1041 (5th Cir. 1998). Wilson next insists that the “biggest error occurred when defense counsel performed an in-court comparison” of Wilson and “Gun.” Trial counsel had “Gun” stand next to Wilson, apparently to show how similar they looked and to suggest that “Gun,” not Wilson, had killed Williams. This ploy appears to have backfired when the State proved that “Gun” had been in jail at the time of the murder and obviously could not have killed Williams. It also appears, however, that defense counsel was aware that “Gun” was in jail at the time of the shooting yet, for whatever reason, made the tactical decision to conduct the in-court comparison. “We will not find inadequate representation merely because, with the benefit of hindsight, we disagree with counsel’s strategic choices.” Green v. Johnson, 116 F.3d 1115, 1122 (5th Cir. 1997). Accordingly, this claim fails to establish the deficient-performance prong of Strickland. 24 Finally, Wilson claims that, cumulatively, the sum of trial counsel’s errors rendered his conviction and sentence constitutionally unreliable. As reflected by the foregoing analysis, however, Wilson has failed to demonstrate either deficiency or prejudice with regard to any of trial counsel’s professional assistance; and absent specific deficiency and prejudicial performance, there can be no cumulative ineffective assistance of counsel. We deny COA on Wilson’s claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim. D. Ineffective Assistance Claim: Appellate Counsel The Strickland standard also applies to claims of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, and Wilson must show both that his appellate attorney’s errors constituted deficient performance and that his case was prejudiced as a result. See Williams v. Collins, 16 F.3d 626, 635 (5th Cir. 1994). Wilson argues that counsel was ineffective for failing to raise the Batson claim on appeal. To show prejudice, Wilson must show a reasonable probability that, but for his appellate counsel’s error, the outcome of his appeal would have been different. Pitts v. Anderson, 122 F.3d 275, 279 (5th Cir. 1997). As we have determined that Wilson’s Batson claim is without merit, appellate counsel cannot be found ineffective for having failed to raise it; prejudice cannot result from counsel’s failure 25 to assert a meritless claim or make a meritless argument. See United States v. Wilkes, 20 F.3d 651, 653 (5th Cir. 1994). We deny COA on the issue of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. III