Court Opinion

ID: 9494921
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:50:09.28854+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:56:42.391502
License: Public Domain

CLAY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
Because I find counsel’s performance so deficient that it denied Petitioner his Sixth Amendment right to counsel at a critical stage of his trial, and failed to subject the prosecution’s case to meaningful adversarial testing, I part company with the majority, and would grant Petitioner’s application for a writ of habeas corpus on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel per se. In the alternative, however, even when subjected to a harmless error analysis under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), I believe that Petitioner has demonstrated prejudice sufficient for the writ to issue.
A. Modelski’s Performance was Presumptively Prejudicial
The Supreme Court has guided us that when considering a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, there are “circumstances that are so likely to prejudice the accused that the cost of litigating their effect in a particular case is unjustified.” United States v. Cronic, 466 U.S. 648, 658, 104 S.Ct. 2039, 80 L.Ed.2d 657 (1984). As the majority accurately states, the Court defined such circumstances as when counsel was either totally absent or otherwise failed to assist the accused during a critical stage of the trial; when counsel entirely failed to subject the prosecution’s case to meaningful adversarial testing; or when the surrounding circumstances make it unlikely that even though counsel may be available to assist the accused during trial, any lawyer, even a competent one, could provide effective assistance. Id. at 659-60 & nn. 25, 26, 104 S.Ct. 2039. Unlike the majority, however, I believe that the circumstances of this case fall within the bounds of those described by the Supreme Court such that prejudice may properly be presumed.
A fundamental flaw in the majority’s analysis of this claim is that it focuses on Modelski’s actions before and during trial, as opposed to her inactions. For example, in finding that a presumption of prejudice *870is not warranted in this case, the majority notes several actions taken by Modelski prior to trial, such as attending the preliminary examination and encouraging Petitioner to accept the government’s guilty plea. Modelski’s constructive absence at the preliminary phase of the criminal proceedings, however, is not at issue. And, in any event, it has been found that a harmless error analysis should be applied when considering counsel’s absence at the preliminary hearing stage of the proceedings. See, e.g., Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 10-11, 90 S.Ct. 1999, 26 L.Ed.2d 387 (1970); Takacs v. Engle, 768 F.2d 122, 124 (6th Cir.1985); McKeldin v. Rose, 631 F.2d 458, 460 (6th Cir.1980) (per cwriam). The majority also makes note of the fact that during trial, Modelski “reserved her right to make an opening statement, cross-examined witnesses, and made a closing argument.” Once again, however, the majority misses the mark inasmuch as it is Modelski’s inactions at trial, or more specifically her inactions during a critical stage of the trial, that give rise to a presumption of prejudice. See Cronic, 466 U.S. at 659, 104 S.Ct. 2039.
In this regard, Modelski failed to cross-examine James Freeman and Nicole Pur-die, both key witnesses for the prosecution. According to Modelski’s testimony at the evidentiary hearing, although her trial strategy was based on raising a reasonable doubt as to the credibility of these key witnesses, she made a deliberate choice not to cross-examine either of them. Her alleged basis for her decision not to cross-examine Freeman was that his testimony — that he overheard Petitioner confess to killing a man as Petitioner fled from the scene — was inherently unbelievable, and that any cross-examination would have drawn additional attention to the testimony. Modelski’s decision not to cross-examine Freeman constructively denied Petitioner his right to counsel at a critical stage in the proceedings, and “fail[ed] to subject the prosecution’s case to meaningful adversarial testing.... ” Cronic, 466 U.S. at 659, 104 S.Ct. 2039. Indeed, as the Supreme Court opined, “[n]o specific showing of prejudice was required in Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974), because the petitioner had been denied the right of effective cross-examination which would be constitutional error of the first magnitude and no amount of showing of want of prejudice would cure it.” Cronic, 466 U.S. at 659, 104 S.Ct. 2039 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
That is not to say that a defense counsel’s decision not to cross-examine a witness will in every case rise to the level of a presumption of ineffectiveness. However, the failure to do so in this case does raise a presumption of prejudice where Petitioner was on trial for first-degree murder, Freeman’s testimony constituted an admission to the killing by Petitioner, Modelski failed to interview Freeman, and where Freeman’s testimony may have been discredited through effective cross-examination. For example, through effective cross-examination, Modelski may have discredited Freeman’s testimony by showing the distance from which Freeman was from the crime scene, the time of day and noise level in the community, or how Freeman may have been confused by the goings on such that it may have been Thomas who made the incriminating statement, particularly since Freeman had been drinking and Thomas was fleeing with Petitioner. Along this line, if Modelski had interviewed Freeman she may have been able to uncover other valuable information to cast doubt upon his very damaging testimony. For example, Freeman may, in fact, be hearing impaired, but because Modelski failed to conduct an investigation into Freeman’s testimony for the purpose of cross-examination, that or any other discrediting fact was not made known to *871the jury. Petitioner, therefore, was denied his right to effective cross-examination by counsel’s inactions thereby giving rise to a presumption of prejudice.
The majority disagrees with the finding that Modelski’s failure to cross-examine either of these key witnesses for the prosecution gives rise to a presumption of prejudice, claiming that the finding is based on “supposition” or “speculation” that the cross-examination would have proven beneficial. However, the majority misses the point behind presuming prejudice in a criminal case. It is the very uncertainty, or “speculation” if you will, as to the degree of prejudice gleaned from Modelski’s failure to cross-examine these witnesses that raises the specter of prejudice per se. See French v. Jones, 282 F.3d 893, 900 (6th Cir.2002) (“The uncertainty of the prejudice [the defendant] suffered because he was not represented by counsel during this critical stage of his trial makes the outcome of his trial unreliable.”). Modelski’s failure to cross-examine either of these two witnesses-particularly when her alleged trial strategy was to illustrate the inherent unbelievability of their testimony-demonstrates the presumptive prejudice spoken of in Cronic because it calls the reliability of the trial outcome into question. Model-ski’s physical presence in the courtroom, albeit while she was apparently conscious, does nothing to change this result. See id. at 899 (rejecting the argument that “an error during trial only requires automatic reversal when a defendant has suffered a total deprivation of counsel”).
This Court’s decision in Green v. Arn, 809 F.2d 1257 (6th Cir.1987), vacated on other grounds, 484 U.S. 806, 108 S.Ct. 52, 98 L.Ed.2d 17 (1987), reinstated 839 F.2d 300 (1988), directly supports this conclusion. In Green, a habeas petitioner claimed that she was denied her Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel because her counsel was absent during the afternoon of the first day of trial, during which the state’s first witness, victim Maureen McNea, was cross-examined by the attorney for the two other co-defendants with whom Petitioner was tried. See id. at 1259. Petitioner’s counsel was present in the morning for the cross-examination, but was absent for a portion of the afternoon session because he was attending a jury sentencing hearing in a capital case in another courtroom on behalf of a different client. Id. at 1259-60. When counsel for the co-defendants finished his cross-examination of the victim, counsel looked to the court for guidance as to how to proceed inasmuch as Petitioner’s counsel was absent at that point. Id. at 1260. The court responded:
Let the record reflect the Court, in anticipation of this problem with Mr. Carlin [Petitioner’s counsel], discussed it with him prior to lunch break, and he informed me that he would be content with Mr. Shaughnessy’s [co-defendants’ counsel’s] cross-examination on behalf of all three defendants, so with that assurance, the Court feels that one cross-examination is sufficient.
Id. at 1260.
Thereafter, however, the petitioner addressed the trial judge and asked for a continuance so that her counsel could be present to cross-examine the victim. Id. The prosecutor agreed to have the victim available to testify the next day, and the court granted the continuance. Id. at 1260-61. The next morning, the following colloquy occurred:
THE COURT: All right, Mr. Carlin [Petitioner’s counsel], I understand you want to go on the record.
MR. CARLIN [PETITIONER’S COUNSEL]: Yes, Your Honor. I have no questions of the witness, Maureen McNea, and I have been informed by my client, Pamela Green, that she *872wishes to have me withdraw and find new counsel. I have to inform the court of that.
THE COURT: All right. Miss Green, the Court will not permit that at this late stage of the trial. This trial must proceed. All right. Call the jury.
Id. at 1261. That afternoon, the petitioner attempted to move for a mistrial, as her counsel communicated to the court:
MR. CARLIN [PETITIONER’S COUNSEL]: I assume that because I wasn’t present during the entire examination of the first witness, I would assume that that is the reason why she would want a mistrial.
I was under the understanding there was a waiver involved in that, number one, and number two, Mr. Shaughnessy [co-defendant’s counsel] and I discussed the testimony and the statements made by the first witness and it was our, including Pamela Green [the petitioner], it was our understanding that it would be in the best interests of our case not to ask her any further questions at all, so, therefore, I told Mr. Brian Fallon [the prosecutor], even though he had her here for my cross-examination, I told him that I would not be asking her any questions.
That’s basically it, Judge. I don’t know what else I can say.
Id. The court denied the petitioner’s request for a mistrial; the petitioner was convicted; and she ultimately filed an application for a writ of habeas corpus claiming, among other things, that she was denied her Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel due to her counsel’s absence during cross-examination of the victim. Id. at 1257. The district court agreed and granted the writ on this basis. Id. The respondent State of Ohio appealed to this Court, wherein the issue before the Court was “whether harmless error analysis is appropriate where a petitioner demonstrates she was unrepresented by counsel for a critical period of time during the taking of evidence against her at trial.” Id. at 1258.
In answering this question in the negative, this Court began by reviewing the above-quoted colloquies and found that “[although it may be that some absences by a criminal defendant’s attorney might be so de minimis that there would be no constitutional significance, the record unequivocally demonstrates that Mr. Carlin’s absence was not de minimis. In our view, the record permits but one conclusion: petitioner’s constitutional right to counsel was implicated by Mr. Carlin’s [petitioner’s counsel’s] absence.” Green, 809 F.2d at 1261-62. Having so found, we were then faced with the constitutional significance of counsel’s absence, meaning whether it lended itself to a harmless error review, or whether it was of the type where prejudice is legally presumed. Id. In deciding that this was a case in which prejudice should be presumed, we held that “[i]t is difficult to perceive a more critical stage of a trial than the taking of evidence on the defendant’s guilt[,]” and that the absence of the petitioner’s counsel at this critical stage was deficient as a matter of law, such that prejudice was presumed. See id. at 1263.
Likewise, in the matter at hand, although Modelski was physically present during Freeman’s cross-examination by the co-defendant’s counsel, if any, she remained mute when presented with the opportunity to cross-examine Freeman on behalf of Petitioner thereby rendering her constructively absent during this critical stage where Freeman was testifying as to Petitioner’s guilt. Accordingly, as in Green, prejudice must be presumed. See Green, 809 F.2d at 1263. And, as in Green, the fact that Modelski claimed that she made a deliberate decision not to cross-examine Freeman as part of her trial *873strategy is of no consequence to the presumption of prejudice. See id. at 1261-62; see also Martin v. Rose, 744 F.2d 1245, 1250-51 (6th Cir.1984) (finding that the defense counsel’s failure to participate in the trial by standing mute, despite the fact that counsel had deliberately chosen to stand mute as part of his trial strategy, made the adversary process unreliable to the extent that prejudice was presumed). Indeed, Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Freeman may be likened to her being asleep during this critical stage of the proceedings where evidence of Petitioner’s guilt was being taken, to the extent that Petitioner was left with no representation whatsoever. See Burdine v. Johnson, 262 F.3d 336, 349 (5th Cir.2001) (en bane) (presuming prejudice where the defendant’s counsel slept through portions of the defendant’s trial on the basis that “[ujnconscious counsel equates to no counsel at all”).
If supposition is to be had in this case, it lies in the majority opinion wherein the majority concludes that Modelski’s preparation for trial, her “active” representation of Defendant at trial, along with her presence and attentiveness during the trial distinguishes Green and the cases noted above from the facts of this case. First, whatever Modelski’s actions may have been before trial, or whatever actions she may have taken during trial separate and apart from the matter of these two key witnesses, the fact remains that her inac-tions deprived Defendant of his well-recognized right to effective cross-examination. See Davis, 415 U.S. at 316, 94 S.Ct. 1105 (recognizing that “[ejross-examination is the principal means by which the believability of a witness and the truth of this testimony are tested”). The majority’s reasoning in this regard may lend itself to a harmless error analysis but it is misplaced in the context of an ineffective assistance of counsel per se claim. In any event, it can hardly be said that Modelski’s preparation for trial should cut against a finding of ineffectiveness where she failed to interview a single witness in this capital murder case. And, aside from her apparent state of consciousness during trial, there is nothing to indicate that she “actively” represented Defendant or that she was attentive. In fact, the record strongly suggests otherwise where Modelski failed to make an opening statement, failed to make a single objection, failed to call a single witness, and gave a very brief closing argument which, as will be illustrated, actually appeared at one point to bolster Defendant’s guilt. The majority’s position appears to come down to a finding that so long as counsel is physically present during trial and conscious, ineffective assistance of counsel per se cannot be found. Of course, Cronic tells us otherwise. See Cronic, 466 U.S. at 659, 104 S.Ct. 2039.
Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Nicole Purdie on the basis that she believed the cross-examination of Purdie by co-defendant’s counsel was sufficient follows the same path as her failure to cross examine Freeman. As with Freeman, Green can be looked to for support. In Green the petitioner’s counsel stated on the record that he - had conferred with the co-defendant’s counsel, as well as his client, and that all were in agreement that the cross-examination of the victim by co-defendant’s counsel was sufficient; however, this Court found these facts unavailing considering the nature of the testimony involved. See Green, 809 F.2d at 1263 (“It is difficult to perceive a more critical stage of a trial than the taking of evidence on the defendant’s guilt.”) Here, Purdie testified as an alleged eyewitness to seeing Petitioner commit the shooting and, therefore, as in Green, Modelski’s decision to rest upon the cross-examination of Purdie by counsel for the co-defendant is presumptively prejudicial.
*874Again, that is not to say that a presumption of prejudice will arise in every case where the defense counsel relies upon the cross-examination of a witness by a co-defendant. However, Modelski’s decision to rest upon the co-defendant’s cross-examination does raise a presumption of prejudice inasmuch as Petitioner had consistently informed Modelski that he did not do the shooting, the testimony of this eyewitness went to the heart of Petitioner’s guilt, and the jurisprudence and legal scholarship have well established that while eyewitness testimony has a profound impact on juries, it is often times extremely unreliable. See Watkins v. Sowders, 449 U.S. 341, 349-50, 101 S.Ct. 654, 66 L.Ed.2d 549 (1981) (Brennan, J., dissenting) (recognizing the “extraordinary impact” of eyewitness identification evidence, while reminding the Court of its history of recognizing the inherently suspect qualities of eyewitness identification evidence); United States v. Langford, 802 F.2d 1176, 1182 (9th Cir.1986) (noting that expert testimony can and should be used to explain to a jury the problems inherent in eyewitness identification, and citing a litany of cases recognizing the problem of unreliable eyewitness testimony); see also Gary L. Wells, What Do We Know About Eyewitness Identification?, 48 Am. Psychologist 553, 554 (1993) (documenting that eyewitness error was the leading single reason for false convictions). The need to cross-examine Purdie becomes particularly acute in this regard because, as Petitioner argues, he and Thomas resemble each other.
Moreover, where this Court has found that a defense counsel’s decision to rely entirely upon a co-defendant’s counsel at trial to be constitutionally ineffective even under a harmless error standard of review, the prejudicial 'effect of Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Purdie in this case becomes exceedingly apparent. See Groseclose v. Bell, 130 F.3d 1161, 1170 (6th Cir.1997) (finding it “mind-boggling” that the petitioner’s counsel would defer to a co-defendant’s counsel where the two defense strategies were antagonistic). Indeed, in the matter at hand, Purdie testified that she did not see co-defendant Gould at the scene; therefore, cross-examination of Purdie by Gould’s counsel could not have taken into account the type of cross-examination needed to be effective for Petitioner’s defense. Although the majority recognizes that Modelski’s decision to rely upon the cross-examination of Purdie by Gould’s counsel as deficient, it ultimately concludes that Modelski’s deficient performance did not rise to the level of ineffective assistance of counsel under a harmless error standard of review. I disagree with the majority. As indicated above, Model-ski’s decision to remain mute as opposed to cross-examining Freeman and Purdie was prejudicial per se inasmuch as it effectively left Petitioner with no counsel at all during this critical stage of the trial, and failed to subject the prosecution’s case to any meaningful adversarial testing. See Cronic, 466 U.S. at 659, 104 S.Ct. 2039 (citing Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 94 S.Ct. 1105, 39 L.Ed.2d 347 (1974)). However, as indicated in the following section, even when considering Petitioner’s claim as to Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Purdie along with Petitioner’s other claims of ineffective assistance under a harmless error standard, Petitioner has demonstrated prejudice from Modelski’s deficient performance.
B. Modelski Rendered Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Under a Harmless Error Standard
Modelski’s deficiencies of which Petitioner complains include her failure to cross-examine Freeman and Purdie, as well as her failure to make an opening statement, failure to pursue Petitioner’s theory that Thomas was the sole shooter, and other *875allegations such as Modelski’s failure to call any defense witnesses, failure to object at trial, and her decision to give a very brief closing argument wherein she made a statement “akin to a concession” that Petitioner was guilty.
Beginning with Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Freeman, the majority found that Modelski’s inactions simply amounted to trial strategy inasmuch as Modelski found Freeman’s statement inherently unbelievable. “Under the analysis set forth in Strickland, even deliberate trial tactics may constitute ineffective assistance of counsel if they fall ‘outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance.’ ” Martin, 744 F.2d at 1249 (quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. at 691, 104 S.Ct. 2052). As discussed above, considering the fact that Freeman testified to an alleged incriminating statement made by Petitioner, and the many bases upon which Modelski may have discredited this damaging testimony had she interviewed and cross-examined Freeman, her decision not to cross-examine this witness cannot be considered as within the range of acceptable competent assistance. See id.; Green, 809 F.2d at 1263. In addition, Modelski’s objectively unreasonable performance prejudiced Petitioner inasmuch as a possibility exists that if Modelski could have successfully discredited Freeman’s damaging testimony, the outcome of the trial may have been different, especially when considering Modelski’s other deficiencies at trial. The majority dissects Modelski’s inactions and views them individually to conclude that Petitioner has not demonstrated prejudice because none of these actions individually would have changed the outcome of Petitioner’s trial. Yet, the majority makes much of the fact that there were two eyewitnesses — Freeman and Purdie — when concluding that the evidence against Petitioner was significant. It seems inapposite for the majority to conclude that Modelski’s efforts in discrediting the testimony of Freeman and Purdie would not have changed the outcome of the trial, while at the same time relying on the strength of these two witnesses’ testimony in reaching that conclusion. In other words, the stronger the witnesses’ testimony, the greater the need for effective cross-examination. This is particularly so when considering the fact that the unreliability of eyewitness testimony is well-established, a fact that could easily have been raised by Modelski in discrediting this testimony. See, e.g., Watkins, 449 U.S. at 349-50, 101 S.Ct. 654.
Along this line, the majority’s conclusion that Modelski’s failure to cross-examine Purdie as to the accuracy of her identification of Petitioner “fails to establish a reasonable probability of a different outcome” simply because Purdie saw Petitioner on a daily basis and identified him as the shooter at both the preliminary examination and at trial, ignores the wide body of legal precedent that firmly establishes the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. The majority’s conclusion also fails to consider Modelski’s failure to challenge the accuracy of Purdie’s identification in light of other flaws in Purdie’s testimony, such as the fact that her testimony was inconsistent and that it conflicted with the medical examiner’s testimony. Which is to say once again, that the majority considers each issue raised by Petitioner as to why Modelski was constitutionally ineffective in relation to her failure to cross-examine Purdie, in a vacuum, finding that no single issue rose to the level of ineffectiveness. However, the jury heard Purdie’s testimony as a whole, and had Modelski brought to the fore the inherent unreliability of eyewitness testimony, the similarities in the appearance of Petitioner and Thomas, the inconsistencies in Purdie’s testimony and the fact that in conflicted with the medical examiner’s testimony, as well as Purdie’s possible bias, a reasonable possi*876bility exists that the outcome of Petitioner’s trial would have been different. If Modelski’s trial strategy was to discredit the testimony of key witnesses Purdie and Freeman, then her failure to cross-examine either of them' — particularly considering that she presented no other defense on Petitioner’s behalf — 'indicates that she had no strategy at all. See Groseclose v. Bell, 130 F.3d 1161, 1169 (6th Cir.1997) (finding defense counsel’s actions in failing to present a defense and failing to cross-examine more than half of the prosecution’s witnesses, among other things, denied the petitioner the effective assistance of counsel).
In this regard, I also find Modelski’s failure to present a defense on behalf of Petitioner in connection with her failure to interview Thomas as to the basis for his plea, and instead simply taking the statement in his plea agreement as true, to be below an objective standard of acceptable performance. Even when considering the discrepancy in the record as to whether Petitioner told Modelski that it was Thomas who did the shooting or whether he told Modelski that Gould did the shooting, the fact remains that Petitioner maintained his innocence to Modelski, and she did nothing to pursue this theory of defense. In other words, she did nothing to cast doubt in the minds of the jury as to Petitioner’s guilt.
The majority dismisses Petitioner’s claim on the basis that “the prosecutor could have thoroughly impeached Thomas with his contrary statements given first to the police and later at his guilty plea proceeding,” and because of “the magistrate judge’s determination that Thomas’s testimony at the evidentiary hearing lacked credibility.” First, the fact that the prosecutor may have impeached Thomas may have supported Thomas’ claim that he only pleaded as he did in order to satisfy the police. Stated differently, the prosecution’s ability to impeach Thomas may have strengthened the force of Thomas’ claim as to why he did not come forward with this exculpating evidence sooner. In addition, the magistrate’s assessment of Thomas’ credibility may have been different from that of the jury, particularly if Modelski had taken the time to cross-examine the prosecution’s two key witnesses. As the majority itself makes note, the reason that this Court is reluctant to set aside credibility determinations made by a jury is because the jury has had the opportunity to view the witness on the stand and assess his demeanor. In fact, the prosecution had faith enough in Thomas’ credibility to call him as a witness. It therefore seems illogical to hold that Modelski’s failure to pursue a defense through Thomas cannot be found prejudicial because Thomas was incredible.
Petitioner relies upon Groseclose v. Bell, in support of his contention that Modelski rendered ineffective assistance by, among other things, her failure to pursue Thomas as a defense strategy. In Groseclose, this Court found the petitioner’s counsel constitutionally ineffective and nothing more than “ ‘a person who happen[ed] to be a lawyer.’” See 130 F.3d at 1169. The Court found three aspects of defense counsel’s performance to be “especially appalling” in reaching this conclusion:
(1) his failure to have any defense theory whatsoever; (2) his failure to conduct any meaningful adversarial challenge, as shown by his failure to cross-examine more than half of the prosecution’s witnesses, to object to any evidence, to put on any defense witnesses, to make a closing argument, and, at sentencing, to put on any meaningful mitigation evidence; and (3) perhaps most importantly, his abdication of his client’s case to Rickman’s counsel.
Id. We then found that it was unnecessary to determine whether to analyze these de*877ficiencies under a Strickland standard inasmuch as “the prejudice resulting from [defense counsel’s] lawyering [was] so patent. We find it quite clear that there were defense tactics available to a reasonably competent attorney that create a reasonable probability that, in the absence of [defense counsel’s] incompetence, the jury would have a reasonable doubt respecting Groseclose’s guilt.” Id. at 1170.
Modelski’s failure to present a meaningful defense, failure to cross-examine the prosecution’s two key witnesses, decision to reserve her right to deliver an opening statement which ultimately resulted in no opening statement, failure to make any objections at trial, and decision to deliver only a very brief closing argument wherein she virtually endorsed Petitioner’s guilt, certainly appear to fall within the bounds of deficient conduct the likes of which we found patently prejudicial in Groseclose. See 130 F.3d at 1170. I find the majority’s attempts to distinguish Groseclose from the matter at hand to be unavailing. First, the majority contends that unlike in Groseclose, the evidence against Petitioner was not weak because of the testimony of the two eyewitnesses, Freeman and Purdie. As consistently emphasized throughout this dissent, the jurisprudence and scholarly journals have made clear the inherent unreliability of eyewitness testimony. Next, the majority contends that because Petitioner does not identify any witnesses that his counsel should have called or objections that his counsel should have made, Modelski’s performance cannot be considered deficient under Groseclose. However, in support of this contention, the majority does not rely upon Groseclose, but instead relies upon a case from the Ninth Circuit, likely because Groseclose did not make such a requirement of the petitioner. As a result, the majority’s attempt to distinguish Gro-seclose on this basis is simply wrong.
Finally, the majority claims that unlike in Groseclose, Petitioner was not denied his right to meaningful adversarial challenge by Modelski’s deficient closing argument. According to the majority, Mod-elski’s closing was simply brief and her statement that “ ‘there is more than reasonable doubt’ about Petitioner’s guilt” would not have given rise to a different result. I disagree with the majority’s assessment for two reasons. First, unlike the Court in Groseclose, the majority once again views Modelski’s poor performance in this regard in a vacuum as opposed to looking at this deficient closing as a whole along with her other deficiencies. See Groseclose, 130 F.3d at 1169 (viewing counsel’s deficiencies as a whole when determining “patent” ineffectiveness). Second, the majority does not provide Modelski’s incriminating statement during closing argument in full. Model-ski’s statement to the jury during closing argument for which Petitioner takes issue actually states as follows: “Now again, my argument is, that there is more than reasonable doubt to believe that Kim Moss shot anyone.” (J.A. at 561.) Obviously, this statement sends a very different message than the majority’s partial quotation of Modelski’s statement that “ ‘there is more than reasonable doubt’ about Petitioner’s guilt.” That aside, however, as in Groseclose, I believe that Modelski’s deficient closing along with her other many deficient acts and omissions resulted in prejudice that is “patently” clear to the point that, but for these errors, the outcome of Petitioner’s case would likely have been different. Id. at 1170; see also Strickland, 466 U.S. at 693-94, 104 S.Ct. 2052.
The Supreme Court has long held that the failure of an accused to receive the effective assistance of counsel “converts] the appointment of counsel into a sham and nothing more than a formal compli-*878anee with the Constitution’s requirement that an accused be given the assistance of counsel. The Constitution’s guarantee of assistance of counsel cannot be satisfied by mere formal appointment.” Avery v. Alabama, 308 U.S. 444, 446, 60 S.Ct. 321, 84 L.Ed. 377 (1940) (footnote omitted). Because I find Modelski’s performance so deficient that it amounted to nothing more than a formal compliance with the Constitution such that Petitioner was left with no counsel at all in violation of his Sixth Amendment right, I would grant Petitioner’s application for a writ of habeas corpus, and I therefore respectfully dissent.