Kolbasook v. McCoy
Opinion of the Court
SUMMARY ORDER
Petitioner-appellant Mark Kolbasook pled guilty to one count of rape in the first degree and one count of burglary in the second degree. He was sentenced to 7-21 years for the rape count and 5-15 years for the burglary count, to be served concurrently.
He brings this habeas petition, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel because his attorney advised him not to accept an earlier plea offer from the government, and then later advised him to accept a second plea offer. He further alleges that this conduct by his attorney rendered his guilty plea unknowing, involuntary, or unintelligent.
We find no merit in Kolbasook’s contentions. His attorney’s advice to reject the first plea offer and later to accept the second plea offer was reasonable tactical advice, given the potential ambiguity of the evidence against Kolbasook at the time of the first plea offer and the overwhelming weight of the evidence against Kolbasook at the time of the second plea offer, after DNA results had confirmed Kolbasook as the rapist. See Strickland v. Washington,
ON CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the judgment of the District Court be and it hereby is AFFIRMED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Mark P. KOLBASOOK v. Joseph E. McCOY, Superintendent of Cayuga Correctional Facility and Glenn S. Goord, Commissioner of New York State Department of Corrections
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published