Opinion ID: 1383224
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Remaining ineffective assistance of counsel claims

Text: Ferguson's remaining allegations of ineffective assistance counsel are based on claims discussed and denied in the sections of this opinion dealing with trial court error. They include that counsel was ineffective for failing to: 1) object and preserve claims regarding the trial court's limitations on voir dire; 2) challenge the admissibility of the DNA evidence; 3) object to the hearsay statements admitted through the testimony of Alicia Medlock and Mike Thompson; 4) object to nine comments made in the closing arguments of the guilt phase; 5) object on proper grounds to the verdict director for first-degree murder; 6) adequately examine Ferguson's two penalty phase experts, Dr. O'Connor and Dr. Smith; 7) object to the admission of unadjudicated bad acts in the penalty phase; 8) object to seven comments made by the prosecutor during the penalty phase closing argument; and 9) object on proper grounds to the penalty phase instructions on the statutory and non-statutory aggravating circumstances. As noted, none of these claims resulted in manifest injustice entitling Ferguson to plain error relief, and indeed, most claims did not constitute error in the first place. As to those few claims that did constitute error, none were prejudicial; none resulted in a reasonable probability that the outcome of the trial would have been different, as required to show ineffective assistance of counsel under Strickland .