“Petitioner’s final argument charges counsel with failure to conduct a thorough pre-trial investigation. ... This challenge to counsel’s performance attempts to do precisely that which is barred by this Court; it invites us to question counsel’s trial strategy and judge his performance incompetent if it was not errorless.”
How later courts described this case
- “Petitioner’s final argument charges counsel with failure to conduct a thorough pre-trial investigation. ... This challenge to counsel’s performance attempts to do precisely that which is barred by this Court; it invites us to question counsel’s trial strategy and judge his performance incompetent if it was not errorless.”
- affirming exclusion of potential juror who could not consider the death penalty for a murder committed during a robbery
- upholding death sentence where Louisiana Supreme Court reviewed only one of three aggravating circumstances
- no need for evidentiary hearing where ineffective assistance of counsel claim could be denied based on the record
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
REAVLEY, Circuit Judge,
concurring in part:
I concur in Parts I, II B and III of Judge Randall’s opinion.