Opinion ID: 1667375
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure of Appellate Counsel

Text: Anderson further claims that his direct appeal counsel was ineffective for failing to raise the issue that the trial court erred in allowing Dr. English to offer rebuttal testimony. He argues that a reasonably competent appellate counsel would have asserted that the trial court erred in overruling the objections trial counsel made to Dr. English testifying, an issue preserved at trial and through inclusion in the motion for new trial. Further, he asserts that competent appellate counsel would have raised the issue that the trial court plainly erred in allowing Dr. English's testimony given the prohibitions of section 552.020.14. Anderson was entitled to effective assistance of his appellate counsel. Storey v. State, 175 S.W.3d 116, 148 (Mo. banc 2005). In reviewing whether his appellate counsel was effective, the Strickland standard is applied. To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, Anderson must show that his appellate counsel failed to raise a claim of error that a competent and effective lawyer would have recognized and asserted. Tisius v. State, 183 S.W.3d 207, 215 (Mo. banc 2006). He must also have shown that the claimed error [was] sufficiently serious to create a reasonable probability that, if it was raised, the outcome of the appeal would have been different. Id. (citing Smith v. Robbins, 528 U.S. 259, 285, 120 S.Ct. 746, 145 L.Ed.2d 756 (2000)). Where an alleged error that was not raised was not preserved, the right to relief due to ineffective assistance of appellate counsel tracks the plain error rule and requires that the error not raised be so substantial as to amount to a manifest injustice or a miscarriage of justice. Middleton v. State, 80 S.W.3d 799, 808 (Mo. banc 2002). Anderson cannot prevail on his claim that his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise an issue of plain error relating to Dr. English's testimony under section 552.020.14. Anderson has not demonstrated that the outcome of his appeal would have been different had this issue been raised in that he cannot show that he would have prevailed under plain error review of this issue. No manifest injustice resulted from Dr. English's testimony. The testimony was not prejudicial to Anderson in that Dr. English made clear that his evaluation did not relate to Anderson's mental state at the time of the crime and he could not rule out that Anderson suffered a mental disease or defect that would manifest itself under severe stress. Anderson also cannot show that his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise the preserved issue that the trial court erred in overruling defense counsel's objections to Dr. English's testimony. The trial court, properly exercising its discretion, determined that it would not prevent his testimony because it did not yet know what he would say on the stand. The trial court advised defense counsel to make clear the limitations of Dr. English's testimony during questioning. Anderson cannot show that there was a reasonable probability that the outcome of his appeal would have been different even if his appellate counsel had raised the issue of the trial court permitting Dr. English to testify in rebuttal. Anderson's claims relating to Dr. English's testimony do not warrant post-conviction relief.