Carter v. State
Carter v. State
Opinion
The appellant was convicted of the offense of attempted murder and sentenced to twenty-five (25) years in the penitentiary pursuant to the Habitual Felony Offender Act. This Court affirmed his conviction without opinion on March 20, 1984. The appellant subsequently filed a petition for writ of error coram nobis before the trial court which rendered the judgment of conviction. Following a hearing on the allegations contained therein, the trial court denied the petition.
We affirm the trial court's denial of the petition with reference to the ineffective assistance of his trial counsel. A review of transcript does not support this allegation. The petitioner is under a burden to prove each allegation in his petition. He has failed to carry this burden.
Petitioner's trial counsel testified that the defendant never requested that he challenge the make up of the Tuscaloosa County Grand Jury. Counsel further stated that he had no information whatsoever that such Grand Jury was racially discriminatory in its make up. The petitioner also stated that he had no such information, it was just "his feeling" that such was true.
Counsel stated that the petitioner did not make a request to keep the jury together. The sequestering of the jury was discussed with petitioner before trial and he agreed not to have them locked up at night. Further, a review of the trial transcript reveals that the trial judge did in fact ask if there was any objection to letting the jury separate. The defense answered in the negative.
Regarding the failure of counsel to call certain defense witnesses, counsel testified that he had never heard of two of the witnesses petitioner claims should have been called to testify until he received a letter from the grievance committee. He stated that he did not know anything about these witnesses. The petitioner testified that these two witnesses had seen the entire incident and should have been called to testify.
Regarding counsel's failure to object to the victim and investigating officer remaining in the courtroom, counsel stated that he does not remember the defendant objecting to them being in the courtroom. Counsel further testified that it was common practice in that circuit to allow the victim and investigating officer to remain in the courtroom and that the petitioner never said anything about this to him.
Regarding the allegation that counsel would not let petitioner testify, counsel testified that the matter was discussed fully with the petitioner before and during trial. He told the petitioner that they were in as good shape as could be expected. The petitioner had given a signed statement to the police and had a previous conviction. He recommended to the petitioner that he not take the stand and he agreed that it would be best not to testify.
The United States Supreme Court in Strickland v. Washington,
A review of the record indicates that petitioner has failed to meet such burden of proof in this proceeding. Counsel was not ineffective in a constitutional sense as argued by this petitioner. See Daniels v. State,
Dixon and Cooper testified at the coram nobis hearing. A review of their testimony and the testimony of the petitioner reveals that the petitioner knew of the facts at the time of his trial. The office of the writ of error coram nobis is to bring to the attention of the Court an error of fact, one not appearing on the face of the record, which was unknown to the Court or the party affected, and which, if known in time, would have prevented judgment of conviction. See Woodard v. State,
Further, such testimony would not have changed the result of his original trial.
The evidence presented to this Court reveals that the petitioner has failed to establish any reason for impeaching the original judgment of conviction. The judgment of the Court below is, therefore, due to be and is hereby affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur. *Page 978
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Albert Carter, Jr., Alias v. State.
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published