Opinion ID: 1660908
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether spry was denied effective assistance of counsel?

Text: ¶ 9. Spry argues that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his attorney failed to properly investigate the charges against him and/or share the results of discovery with him. Specifically, Spry argues he was given ineffective assistance because his attorneys told him that certain witnesses he had requested be called at trial could not be found. ¶ 10. The standard for reviewing claims of ineffective assistance of counsel was set forth in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064-65, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), and is well-settled. Strickland requires the appellant to prove (1) that defense counsel's performance was deficient, and (2) that he was prejudiced by counsel's deficient performance. Hansen v. State, 649 So.2d 1256, 1259 (Miss.1994). The defense counsel is presumed competent and the burden of proving otherwise rests on [the appellant]. Hansen, 649 So.2d at 1258. Accord, Taylor v. State, 682 So.2d 359, 363 (Miss.1996) (defendant must prove both prongs of the Strickland test). [T]his Court bases its decisions as to whether counsel's efforts were effective on the totality of the circumstances surrounding each case. McQuarter v. State, 574 So.2d 685, 687 (Miss.1990). This Court's scrutiny of defense counsel's performance is highly deferential. See Hansen, 649 So.2d at 1259. ¶ 11. As the trial court correctly held, the record of Spry's guilty plea hearing contradicts his unsupported claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. Defense counsel stated on the record that he had consulted with Spry and that he was ready to proceed to trial the day before Spry decided to make his plea of guilty. Spry clearly stated that he was satisfied with his legal counsel. Spry has not shown that he would not have pled guilty but for the ineffective assistance of his counsel, or that he was prejudiced by his attorney's alleged failure. Spry makes no specific allegation of what counsel's additional investigation would have revealed to aid in his defense, nor did Spry provide any affidavits describing the anticipated testimony of the uncalled witnesses. Accordingly, Spry's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is without merit.