Opinion ID: 1188886
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Trial counsel's failure to request a theory of the case instruction.

Text: Riley argues that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his trial counsel failed to request a theory of the case instruction. This claim must fail, however, because Dahl did request a theory of the case instruction, which was rejected by the district judge because it was duplicative and subsumed within other instructions. Riley's theory of the case was that Jackson, not Riley, shot Bollin. Dahl requested an instruction that read, If you have a reasonable doubt as to whether the defendant himself personally shot the victim, you must find the defendant not guilty. The district judge rejected the instruction, and Riley maintained on appeal that his conviction should be reversed. This court disagreed. See Riley, 107 Nev. at 214, 808 P.2d at 556-57. As a result, Riley's premise is faulty. Dahl did request the instruction, and cannot be said to have been ineffective based on this ground. Furthermore, as this court rejected Riley's substantive claim, namely that failure to give the instruction required reversal, he cannot show prejudice.