Opinion ID: 2512660
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Defense theory

Text: Nika contends that the district court improperly dismissed his claim that trial counsel provided ineffective assistance by pursuing a defense that someone else murdered Smith rather than the theory that Nika killed Smith in self-defense. We disagree. Nika told the police that he did not kill Smith and actually purchased Smith's car. And he repeatedly told trial counsel that he did not kill Smith. Further, jailhouse informant Wilson testified that Nika admitted to shooting Smith in the head after striking Smith with a crowbar. Moreover, the medical evidence showed that Smith suffered three blunt trauma wounds and skull fractures on the back of his head, one of which was inflicted while Smith was lying face down. And Smith suffered a single contact bullet wound on his forehead that was consistent with the gun being placed directly on his skin when it was fired. This evidence belies a self-defense theory. Based on Nika's statement to the police denying his involvement in Smith's murder and his repeated denials to counsel, challenging the State's evidence against Nika as insufficient to prove that he was the killer was reasonable. We conclude that Nika failed to adequately substantiate his claim that counsel's decision to pursue a defense that someone other than Nika killed Smith was unreasonable or that but for counsel's decision to pursue this defense, there was a reasonable probability of a different outcome. Therefore, we conclude that the district court did not err by summarily dismissing this claim.