People v. Marshall

830 N.W.2d 414, 298 Mich. App. 607
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 4, 2012
DocketDocket No. 297115
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 830 N.W.2d 414 (People v. Marshall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Marshall, 830 N.W.2d 414, 298 Mich. App. 607 (Mich. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

Defendant appeals as of right his convictions following a jury trial of assault with intent to commit murder, MCL 750.83, possession of a firearm by a felon, MCL 750.224f, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, MCL 750.227b. He was sentenced as a fourth-offense habitual offender, MCL 769.12, to concurrent prison terms of 35 to 60 years for the assault and the felon-in-possession convictions and a consecutive two-year term of imprisonment for the felony-firearm conviction. Defendant appealed and the Court of Appeals, while retaining jurisdiction, remanded the matter to the trial court for a Ginther1 hearing. Unpublished order of the Court of Appeals, entered October 22, 2010 (Docket No. 297115). We affirm.

Defendant’s convictions arose from the nonfatal shooting of Jamaal Hunt during the early morning hours of July 5, 2009, in Jackson, Michigan.

[611]*611I. INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL

Defendant first argues that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel. Defendant raised this issue in a posttrial motion for a new trial, which the trial court denied. After conducting the Ginther hearing, the trial court denied defendant’s motion for a new trial. “A claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is a mixed question of law and fact.” People v Petri, 279 Mich App 407, 410; 760 NW2d 882 (2008). “Atrial court’s findings of fact, if any, are reviewed for clear error, and this Court reviews the ultimate constitutional issue arising from an ineffective assistance of counsel claim de novo.” Id. A finding is clearly erroneous when, although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court, on the whole record, is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made. People v Dendel, 481 Mich 114, 130; 748 NW2d 859 (2008), amended 481 Mich 1201 (2008).

The right to counsel guaranteed by the United States and Michigan Constitutions is the right to the effective assistance of counsel. US Const, Am VI; Const 1963, art 1, § 20; Strickland v Washington, 466 US 668, 686; 104 S Ct 2052; 80 L Ed 2d 674 (1984); People v Cline, 276 Mich App 634, 637; 741 NW2d 563 (2007). To establish a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must demonstrate that counsel’s performance was deficient in that it fell below an objective standard of professional reasonableness and that it is reasonably probable that, but for counsel’s ineffective assistance, the result of the proceeding would have been different. People v Jordan, 275 Mich App 659, 667; 739 NW2d 706 (2007). Effective assistance of counsel is presumed, and a defendant must overcome the presumption that counsel’s performance constituted sound trial strategy. People v Seals, 285 Mich App 1, 17; 776 NW2d 314 [612]*612(2009); Jordan, 275 Mich App at 667-668. This Court will not substitute its judgment for that of counsel regarding matters of trial strategy, nor will it assess counsel’s competence with the benefit of hindsight. People v Payne, 285 Mich App 181, 190; 774 NW2d 714 (2009).

Defendant argues that defense counsel was ineffective as a result of pursuing “a strategy of defense that was chosen by him, not by the defendant, a strategy that was doomed because of his lack of preparation, investigation, and research and because it was a lie.” Defendant further argues that counsel was ineffective because he did not investigate a claim of self-defense. “Trial counsel is responsible for preparing, investigating, and presenting all substantial defenses.” People v Chapo, 283 Mich App 360, 371; 770 NW2d 68 (2009). “A substantial defense is one that might have made a difference in the outcome of the trial.” Id. (quotation marks and citation omitted). Failure to make a reasonable investigation can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. People v McGhee, 268 Mich App 600, 626; 709 NW2d 595 (2005).

At the Ginther hearing, defendant and defense counsel presented conflicting accounts of their pretrial discussions of the case and possible defense strategies. According to defense counsel, defendant told him that he shot the victim in self-defense during a struggle with the victim over the gun. Counsel, who was retained, testified that he expressed a desire to hire a private investigator and a medical expert to explore the self-defense theory, but defendant did not want to spend any more money and he refused to provide the names of any witnesses or allow counsel to use that defense. Counsel explained that he therefore elected to pursue a strategy of attacking the sufficiency of the evidence and estab[613]*613lishing reasonable doubt. According to counsel, even after he informed defendant that a “reasonable doubt” defense only had a 20 to 30 percent chance of success, defendant was still convinced that he could “beat” the charge because he had been acquitted of a previous shooting using that strategy. Conversely, defendant testified that he told defense counsel that the shooting occurred during a struggle between himself and the victim, but denied telling defense counsel what defense theory to pursue or refusing to allow counsel to pursue a defense of self-defense. According to defendant, defense counsel told him that, in light of the preliminary examination testimony, no one could identify defendant as having been at the scene of the crime, so he “should go with I wasn’t there.”

An evaluation of defense counsel’s performance depends, in part, on which version of these competing accounts was deemed credible. The trial court’s determinations indicate that it credited defense counsel’s testimony and held that counsel’s defense strategy was objectively reasonable. “ ‘[Rjegard shall be given to the special opportunity of the trial court to judge the credibility of the witnesses who appeared before it.’ ” Dendel, 481 Mich at 130, quoting MCR 2.613(C). The trial court had the opportunity to judge the credibility of defense counsel and defendant and found that defense counsel’s account of the events was credible. The court concluded that defense counsel was not ineffective “for failing to investigate a defense that Defendant refused to let him run.”

Although defendant’s witnesses at the Ginther hearing testified in support of a self-defense theory, defense counsel’s testimony indicates that he wanted to pursue a self-defense claim but defendant did not want to do so, would not provide the names of witnesses, and would [614]*614not permit counsel to hire a private investigator to explore that defense. Crediting defense counsel’s testimony that defendant refused to cooperate in presenting a self-defense claim, counsel cannot be faulted for not pursuing that defense. Without defendant’s cooperation, it would have been implausible to present that defense at trial. Further, considering the conflicting and widely varied testimony elicited at the preliminary examination and at trial, it was not unreasonable for counsel to pursue a “reasonable doubt” strategy. Indeed, although eyewitness Lasonia Wilks identified defendant as the person involved in the altercation with the victim, the victim himself maintained that defendant was not present at the scene. Accordingly, giving deference to the trial court’s finding that defense counsel was credible, we find no error in the trial court’s determination that defense counsel was not ineffective as a result of his choice of defense strategies.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
830 N.W.2d 414, 298 Mich. App. 607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-marshall-michctapp-2012.