Opinion ID: 1649620
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: Failure to interview Brown's grandmother.

Text: ¶ 20. Brown contends that his grandmother, Ida Bell Fox, would have informed counsel of a white man with a ski mask lurking in the woods near the Boyd's residence before the crimes. Fox's affidavit reveals that this was not first-hand knowledge on her part but was instead a story told to her by others in the neighborhood, the Barnetts. Contrary to the affidavit of Fox, the affidavit of Rebecca Barnett asserts that she saw a man dressed in black run into the woods a few weeks after, not before, the murders. While a lawyer's failure to investigate a witness who has been identified as crucial may indicate an inadequate investigation, the failure to investigate everyone mentioned by the defendant does not suggest ineffective assistance. Gray v. Lucas, 677 F.2d 1086, 1093 n. 5 (5th Cir.1982). Further, trial counsel did in fact develop and attempt to present the theory that the crimes might have been committed by someone else, i.e., Tony Boyd. The issue is without merit.