Opinion ID: 6109557
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to call Mr. Jackson as a witness

Text: Mr. McFadden also contends defense counsel were ineffective in failing to call Mr. McFadden's friend, Mr. Jackson. At a deposition taken for the postconviction hearing, Mr. Jackson testified Eva was inaccurate in testifying that, earlier in the day of the murder, Mr. McFadden slapped Eva, pointed a gun at Leslie, and got out of his friend's car after following it from the house on Blakemore. But defense counsel testified Mr. Jackson told them a different story when they interviewed him by telephone prior to the second trial for murdering Leslie; he said he remembered driving down the street the night of the murder but did not see or remember anything specific. Further, Mr. Jackson would have been especially vulnerable to impeachment based on his lengthy criminal record-including murder-and his admission he tried to get Mr. McFadden to leave the house after fighting with Leslie and Eva because Mr. McFadden was wanted for Mr. Franklin's murder. The motion court did not clearly err in finding defense counsel used a reasonable trial strategy. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690 , 104 S.Ct. 2052 .