Opinion ID: 158868
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Prepare Petitioner to Testify at Sentencing

Text: 32 Petitioner claims that his attorney failed to prepare petitioner to testify at sentencing. Petitioner told jurors at sentencing that he had not committed the crime and asked them not to sentence him to death so that he would have an opportunity to prove his innocence. 33 In the state post-conviction proceedings, petitioner testified that counsel did not ask him if he wanted to testify until immediately prior to sentencing and did not advise him of the questions the attorney intended to ask, but rather told petitioner just to tell the jurors what he wanted to tell them. On the other hand, defense counsel testified at the post-conviction hearing that petitioner did not decide to testify at sentencing until the last minute and that counsel did discuss petitioner's testimony with him, but would not tell him what to say. The state court did not make any factual findings or credibility determinations concerning this inconsistent testimony. 34 Nonetheless, even if we assume counsel's performance was deficient, petitioner has failed to establish any resulting prejudice. See Cooks, 165 F.3d at 1292-93 (court need not address both performance and prejudice if petitioner fails to make sufficient showing as to one). Petitioner fails to allege how further preparation would have enhanced his testimony. See United States v. Mealy, 851 F.3d 890, 909 (7th Cir. 1988). 35 Petitioner also argues that trial counsel should have used petitioner's testimony to explore the facts of his prior rape conviction. At the state post-conviction hearing, however, trial counsel testified that, as a matter of strategy, he did not go into the details of the prior conviction in order to prevent the prosecution from presenting the rebuttal testimony of the rape victim. Petitioner has failed to overcome the presumption that this was reasonable strategy under the circumstances. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689.