Donald W. Campbell v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2017 )


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  • MEMORANDUM DECISION
    Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
    this Memorandum Decision shall not be
    regarded as precedent or cited before any
    FILED
    court except for the purpose of establishing                          Jun 28 2017, 5:37 am
    the defense of res judicata, collateral                                   CLERK
    Indiana Supreme Court
    estoppel, or the law of the case.                                        Court of Appeals
    and Tax Court
    ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT                                  ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
    Stephen T. Owens                                         Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
    Public Defender of Indiana                               Attorney General of Indiana
    Jay M. Lee                                               James B. Martin
    Deputy Public Defender                                   Deputy Attorney General
    Indianapolis, Indiana                                    Indianapolis, Indiana
    IN THE
    COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
    Donald W. Campbell,                                      June 28, 2017
    Appellant-Petitioner,                                    Court of Appeals Case No.
    45A03-1610-PC-2328
    v.                                               Appeal from the
    Lake Superior Court
    State of Indiana,                                        The Honorable
    Appellee-Respondent.                                     Clarence D. Murray, Judge
    The Honorable
    Kathleen A. Sullivan, Magistrate
    Trial Court Cause No.
    45G02-1406-PC-5
    Kirsch, Judge.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017          Page 1 of 16
    [1]   After his conviction for murder was affirmed on direct appeal, Donald W.
    Campbell filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which the post-conviction
    court denied. Campbell now appeals and raises the following restated issues:
    I.       Whether the post-conviction court erred when it found
    that his trial counsel did not provide ineffective assistance
    when he did not object during the State’s closing to a
    PowerPoint slide that insinuated Campbell was linked to
    the crime through six pieces of DNA evidence; and
    II.      Whether the post-conviction court erred when it found
    that Campbell’s appellate counsel was not ineffective for
    not raising the PowerPoint slide issue on direct appeal as
    fundamental error.
    [2]   We affirm.
    Facts and Procedural History
    [3]   In June 1992, sixty-two-year-old Donna Hogue (“Hogue”) was murdered in her
    home in the Black Oak neighborhood of Gary, Indiana. A co-worker
    discovered her body on June 5, 1992, after Hogue had not appeared at work.
    Relevant facts, as set forth in our decision on direct appeal, are as follows:
    When co-worker Robert Powell stopped by her house to check
    on [Hogue], the inner door was slightly ajar, and upon entry he
    saw signs of a struggle: the house was in disarray, furniture was
    knocked over, and Donna’s glasses were lying broken on the
    carpet. Powell found Donna’s nude body lying face-down on a
    bed, with just a slipper on her foot, a doily tied around her neck,
    and a nightgown pulled up around her neck and arms. A knife
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 2 of 16
    covered with a towel was sticking out of her back. Powell called
    the police and notified Donna’s family.
    The police found a blood-stained utility knife and a pool of blood
    in the living room next to the front door. They found pools of
    blood in other areas of the living room. A coffee table was
    overturned with a leg broken off, and a sofa cushion was on the
    floor. A trail of blood led to the bedroom where Donna’s body
    was found.
    An autopsy revealed that Donna had suffered a wide slash
    wound to her neck that cut her larynx and esophagus. She had
    also been stabbed nine times in the back. Six of the stab wounds
    had been driven so deeply that they lacerated a lung.
    The case remained unsolved until November 2008, when
    Detective Dennis Matthew Eaton of the Lake County Sheriff’s
    Department received an anonymous phone call from a woman
    claiming to have information about a 1992 murder in Black Oak.
    She called back a few days later, identified herself as Laurie
    McDonald, and said that her father Donald Campbell may have
    been involved in Donna Hogue’s murder. Campbell’s sister and
    Donna Hogue’s brother had been married at some point.
    Detective Eaton reviewed reports from the coroner’s office and
    the crime lab. After examining a list of evidence originally
    collected at the scene, he and Lisa Black of the Indiana State
    Police Laboratory resubmitted certain items for testing. They
    were interested in possible DNA results, something not available
    in 1992.
    During the investigation, Detective Eaton spoke with Loretta
    Earl. Loretta and Campbell divorced in 1982 but continued to
    live together in Black Oak until Loretta left him on May 15,
    1992.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 3 of 16
    Detective Eaton also spoke with Campbell’s nephew Ronnie
    Anglin and Ronnie’s wife Judy Anglin; Campbell and his brother
    Tommy Campbell had been staying with them in Black Oak at
    the time of the crime.
    Detective Eaton went to Campbell’s home in Sullivan, Indiana,
    with a warrant for his DNA. When Campbell asked for more
    information, Detective Eaton declined to say anything about the
    case unless they were at a police department where the
    conversation could be recorded. They went to the Sullivan
    County Sheriff’s Office, where Eaton took buccal swab samples
    from Campbell and told him he was investigating Donna
    Hogue’s murder. Campbell repeatedly denied knowing Donna
    Hogue.
    In June 2009, the State charged Campbell with murder.
    Campbell v. State, No. 45A04-1109-CR-473 (Ind. Ct. App. Feb. 28, 2013).
    [4]   During the eight-day 2011 jury trial, a number of witnesses testified. Among
    those was Campbell’s nephew, Ronnie Anglin, who testified that, in May 1992,
    Campbell and his brother, Tommy, sometimes stayed at the Anglins’ house.
    Ronnie testified that he had told detectives that Campbell sometimes watched
    television at Hogue’s house and spent the night there. Trial Tr. at 478-80.
    When asked whether Campbell had told him about his going over to see
    Hogue, Anglin replied, “Donald didn’t have to tell me . . . the whole family
    knew it.” Id. at 480.
    [5]   Among other witnesses, the State presented the testimony of Lisa Black, a
    DNA expert with the Indiana State Police crime lab. As is relevant here, Black
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 4 of 16
    testified that a blood sample collected from Hogue’s back, Item 5A, was
    comprised of a mixture that “exhibited a major DNA profile that was consistent
    with [] Hogue and a minor DNA profile” and that Campbell “could not be
    excluded as the contributor to the minor DNA profile.” Trial Tr. at 1056.
    Another blood sample, Item 24, came from a swab of Hogue’s body, and it
    contained a partial profile of Hogue’s DNA along with another contributor
    containing a “Y” allele, indicating only that it came from a male. Id. at 1106.
    [6]   With regard to testing of hair samples, Black testified that only hairs with roots,
    and the accompanying cellular material, can be analyzed for DNA. Id. at 1071-
    72. Transfer can occur through primary transfer, where hair falls directly from
    a person to a surface, or through secondary transfer, where hair is transferred
    from, for instance, through clothing or when multiple people share or use
    objects. Id. at 1082-84.
    [7]   Black testified regarding testing of a sample of three hairs together, Item 5B,
    because the DNA was insufficient to submit them to individual analysis. Id.
    at 1058. Neither Hogue nor Campbell could be excluded as the source of the
    Item 5B hairs. Id. Black tested another hair recovered from Hogue’s body,
    Item 5B5, and she determined that its DNA profile “was consistent with
    coming from Donald Campbell.”1 Id. at 1064, 1122. Two other hairs, 23A2
    1
    Black testified that “[t]he DNA profile consistent with Donald Campbell would be found in one in 76
    billion of the Caucasian population, one in nine trillion of the African-American population, and one in 71
    billion of the Hispanic population.” Trial Tr. at 1064.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017             Page 5 of 16
    and 23A5, also were determined to be Donald’s within a reasonable degree of
    scientific certainty.2 Id. at 1079-81.
    [8]   During the State’s closing argument, the prosecutor presented a slide showing a
    circle with the word “DEFENDANT” positioned in the middle, surrounded by
    six arrows – each labeled with an item of DNA that Black had tested and
    discussed – that were pointing toward the circle (“the PowerPoint Slide”).
    Pet’r’s Ex. C. The following DNA items appeared on the arrows: 5A, 5B, 5B5,
    23A2, 23A5, and 24. Id. The prosecutor stated, “So we have the defendant,
    ISP number 5A, 5B, 5B5, 23A2, 23A5, 24 all leading to guilty.” Trial Tr. at
    1363. Campbell’s trial counsel did not object.
    [9]   The jury found Campbell guilty. The trial court sentenced him to fifty-eight
    years. Campbell appealed his conviction and sentencing, asserting that (1) the
    trial court wrongly admitted Loretta Earl’s testimony; (2) the trial court erred by
    admitting DNA evidence; (3) the State committed prosecutorial misconduct
    amounting to fundamental error by misstating facts in its PowerPoint
    presentation3; (4) the trial court erred by allowing the jury to use a transcript to
    2
    For 23A2, Black stated that “the statistic is one in 13 quadrillion for the Caucasian population, one in nine
    quintillion for the African-American population, and one in 21 quadrillion for the Hispanic population. Trial
    Tr. at 1079-80. For 23A5, Black testified that “the statistic is [one in] 710 billion of the Caucasian
    population, one in 140 trillion of African-American population, and one in 1.2 trillion of the Hispanic
    population.” Id. at 1080-81.
    3
    The issue raised on direct appeal concerning the PowerPoint presentation was distinct from that presented
    in Campbell’s post-conviction relief petition. In the direct appeal, he had asserted that the prosecutor had
    committed misconduct by stating in the PowerPoint that Campbell’s brother, Tommy, was disabled (and
    therefore, by inference, could not have murdered Hogue).
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017              Page 6 of 16
    aid them in listening to Campbell’s interview; (5) the trial court abused its
    discretion in instructing the jury; (6) the evidence was insufficient to sustain
    Campbell’s conviction; and (7) the trial court abused its discretion in sentencing
    him. We affirmed Campbell’s conviction and sentence. Campbell v. State, No.
    45A04-1109-CR-473 (Ind. Ct. App. Feb. 28, 2013).
    [10]   Campbell filed a pro-se petition for post-conviction relief, later amended by
    counsel, alleging that (1) his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance for
    failing to object during the State’s closing argument to the State’s PowerPoint
    presentation that referenced six pieces of DNA evidence in arrows that pointed
    to “DEFENDANT”, and (2) his appellate counsel provided ineffective
    assistance for failing to raise that PowerPoint presentation as fundamental
    error. Appellant’s App. at 48-49.
    [11]   At the post-conviction hearing, the post-conviction court heard testimony from
    Campbell, whose testimony included his opinion that he had a good
    relationship with his trial attorney, Timothy Ormes (“Ormes”), and that Ormes
    visited Campbell and discussed the case with him. Campbell also presented the
    testimony of Ormes, who had been an attorney since 1987, was a county
    prosecutor for about eight years and then opened his own practice, which
    included public and private criminal defense work. Ormes had tried
    approximately one hundred cases, had represented murder defendants, and had
    dealt with DNA issues during his years of practice. As to Campbell’s case,
    Ormes recalled that he objected during the State’s closing regarding a
    misrepresentation in a slide and that the trial court overruled it, but the
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 7 of 16
    prosecutor later acknowledged the error in her closing and corrected it. Ormes
    did not recall making further objections during the State’s closing, noting that
    he had been overruled once and “it looks bad” to “keep objecting.” PCR Tr. at
    19. He opined that “it’s a call” whether to object in that situation. Id. at 20.
    Campbell’s appellate attorney, Mark A. Bates (“Bates”), did not testify at the
    post-conviction hearing.4
    [12]   The post-conviction court later issued findings of fact and conclusions of law
    denying Campbell’s petition, and he now appeals.
    Discussion and Decision
    [13]   The purpose of a petition for post-conviction relief is to raise issues unknown or
    unavailable to a defendant at the time of the original trial and appeal. Benefield
    v. State, 
    945 N.E.2d 791
    , 796-97 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011). A post-conviction
    petition is not a substitute for an appeal, nor does it afford the petitioner a
    “super appeal.” 
    Id. at 797
    . In post-conviction proceedings, the petitioner bears
    the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. 
    Id.
     When appealing
    from the denial of post-conviction relief, the petitioner stands in the position of
    one appealing from a negative judgment. 
    Id.
     “‘To prevail on appeal from the
    denial of post-conviction relief, a petitioner must show that the evidence as a
    whole leads unerringly and unmistakably to a conclusion opposite that reached
    4
    We note that the post-conviction court admitted the record from the direct appeal and took judicial notice
    of the underlying file. Appellant’s Br. at 6; PCR Tr. at 11-12.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017             Page 8 of 16
    by the post-conviction court.’” 
    Id.
     (quoting Kubsch v. State, 
    934 N.E.2d 1138
    ,
    1144 (Ind. 2010)).
    [14]   Here, the post-conviction court made findings of fact and conclusions of law in
    accordance with Indiana Post-Conviction Rule 1(6). “‘A post-conviction
    court’s findings and judgment will be reversed only upon a showing of clear
    error—that which leaves us with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake
    has been made.’” 
    Id.
     (quoting Ben-Yisrayl v. State, 
    729 N.E.2d 102
    , 106 (Ind.
    2000)). We accept the post-conviction court’s findings of fact unless they are
    clearly erroneous, but we do not defer to the post-conviction court’s conclusions
    of law. 
    Id.
     “‘The post-conviction court is the sole judge of the weight of the
    evidence and the credibility of witnesses.’” 
    Id.
     (quoting Woods v. State, 
    701 N.E.2d 1208
    , 1210 (Ind. 1998)).
    I. Trial Counsel
    [15]   Campbell contends that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel.
    When evaluating a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, we
    apply the two-part test articulated in Strickland v. Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 
    80 L.Ed.2d 674
     (1984). First, the
    defendant must show that counsel’s performance was deficient.
    This requires a showing that counsel’s representation fell below
    an objective standard of reasonableness and that the errors were
    so serious that they resulted in a denial of the right to counsel
    guaranteed to the defendant by the Sixth and Fourteenth
    Amendments. Second, the defendant must show that the
    deficient performance resulted in prejudice. To establish
    prejudice, a defendant must show that there is a reasonable
    probability that but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 9 of 16
    of the proceeding would have been different. A reasonable
    probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in
    the outcome.
    Perry v. State, 
    904 N.E.2d 302
    , 308 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (citations omitted),
    trans. denied. If a claim of ineffective assistance can be disposed of by analyzing
    the prejudice prong alone, we will do so. Benefield, 
    945 N.E.2d at 797
    .
    [16]   As we have recognized,
    There is a strong presumption that counsel rendered adequate
    assistance and made all significant decisions in the exercise of
    reasonable professional judgment. Counsel is afforded
    considerable discretion in choosing strategy and tactics, and these
    decisions are entitled to deferential review. Isolated mistakes,
    poor strategy, inexperience, and instances of bad judgment do
    not necessarily render representation ineffective.
    
    Id.
    [17]   Campbell asserts that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the
    PowerPoint Slide and for failing to move for an admonishment or a mistrial.
    “[T]o prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance due to the failure to object, the
    defendant must show an objection would have been sustained if made.”
    Overstreet v. State, 
    877 N.E.2d 144
    , 155 (Ind. 2007).
    [18]   Here, the PowerPoint Slide identified six pieces of DNA evidence: Items 5A,
    5B, 5B5, 23A2, 23A5, 24. Each of those items of DNA labeled an arrow, and
    each arrow pointed to the word “DEFENDANT.” Pet’r’s Ex. C. It is
    undisputed that three of the six pieces of DNA evidence – Items 5B5, 23A2,
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 10 of 16
    and 23A5 – were hairs that were determined to belong to Campbell within a
    reasonable degree of scientific certainty. Item 5A was a blood sample that trial
    counsel had earlier addressed when he objected to the prosecutor’s
    characterization of it as being “a major of [Hogue] and a minor of defendant,”
    when in fact it was not a minor of Campbell, but rather Campbell was a minor
    contributor in a mixture from which he could not be excluded. Both defense
    counsel and the prosecutor in their respective closing arguments clarified that
    Item 5A was a mixture from which Campbell could not be excluded.
    [19]   The remaining two of the six items appearing in the PowerPoint Slide were
    Items 5B and 24. Item 5B was a mixture of hairs from which neither Hogue
    nor Campbell could be excluded; Item 24 was a blood swab that contained a
    partial profile of Hogue’s DNA and a lesser contributor from which there was
    insufficient data for a DNA profile.
    [20]   The post-conviction court rejected Campbell’s claim that trial counsel rendered
    ineffective assistance when he failed to object to the PowerPoint Slide, and we
    agree for several reasons. First, as the post-conviction court observed, trial
    counsel did not state that each of those six items matched or were consistent
    with Campbell; rather, the prosecutor characterized the items as “leading to
    guilty” which the post-conviction court determined was “a fair
    characterization” and “permissible argument,” given that Campbell was not
    excluded from any of the items. Trial Tr. at 1363; Appellant’s App. at 122.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 11 of 16
    [21]   Second, even if the PowerPoint Slide constituted prosecutorial misconduct as
    Campbell claims, Campbell has not shown prejudice. The PowerPoint Slide
    was one of over seventy shown to the jury in an eight-day trial, and it did not
    accompany the jurors into the jury room during deliberations. During trial,
    Ormes had stressed the existence of an alternative suspect, namely Campbell’s
    brother Tommy5, and noted that Black could not confirm whether some hair
    belonged to Campbell or his brother. Ormes thoroughly cross-examined Black,
    including concerning primary and secondary transfer of hair, and he brought
    out issues regarding instances of contamination of DNA items in the case.
    Based on the record before us, we cannot say that Campbell was prejudiced by
    Ormes’s failure to object to the PowerPoint Slide.
    [22]   Third, Ormes’s testimony at the post-conviction hearing suggested that his
    decision not to object during closing argument to the PowerPoint Slide was one
    of strategy. At the post-conviction hearing, Ormes explained that, at trial, he
    objected to the prosecutor’s description of Item 5A as being “a major of
    [Hogue] and a minor of defendant,” on the basis that it mischaracterized the
    evidence. Trial Tr. at 1360. Although the trial court overruled the objection,
    ultimately the prosecutor corrected and clarified her characterization in
    rebuttal. Ormes testified that he did not object to the PowerPoint Slide because
    5
    Ronnie Anglin’s wife, Judy, testified that she saw Tommy and Donny at her house on the morning of June
    5, that Tommy’s shirt had a brown stain on it, and that she later saw the two of them walking away down the
    railroad tracks carrying bags, and not to be seen again, until Donny was apprehended. Tommy was never
    apprehended or seen again, and the investigators never had any of Tommy’s DNA to test.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017          Page 12 of 16
    it would have been another objection during closing argument, which may have
    made him “look bad” in the eyes of the jury. PCR Tr. at 19. Ormes noted that
    “[i]t’s a call” as to whether to interpose such objections during closing which
    often are not sustained, because the trial court rules that “it’s argument.” Id. at
    19-20.
    [23]   As we have recognized, counsel is given “significant deference in choosing a
    strategy which, at the time and under the circumstances, he or she deems best.”
    Benefield, 
    945 N.E.2d at 799
     (quoting Potter v. State, 
    684 N.E.2d 1127
    , 1133 (Ind.
    1997)). ‘“[T]rial strategy is not subject to attack through an ineffective
    assistance of counsel claim, unless the strategy is so deficient or unreasonable as
    to fall outside of the objective standard of reasonableness.’” 
    Id.
     (quoting Autrey
    v. State, 
    700 N.E.2d 1140
    , 1141 (Ind. 1998)). “‘This is so even when such
    choices may be subject to criticism or the choice ultimately prove[s] detrimental
    to the defendant.’” 
    Id.
     Our Supreme Court has observed, “A decision to not
    object to evidence when the objection may be more damaging than the evidence
    is within the wide range of professionally competent assistance.” Stevens v.
    State, 
    770 N.E.2d 739
    , 752 (Ind. 2002), cert. denied, 
    540 U.S. 830
     (2003).
    [24]   In this case, the post-conviction court determined that the PowerPoint Slide and
    accompanying commentary were not prosecutorial misconduct, and it was not
    ineffective assistance not to object to it. We find that Campbell has failed to
    show that “the evidence as a whole leads unerringly and unmistakably to a
    conclusion opposite that reached by the post-conviction court.” Kubsch, 934
    N.E.2d at 1144.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 13 of 16
    II. Appellate Counsel
    [25]   Campbell contends that his appellate counsel, Bates, provided ineffective
    assistance. “The standard for gauging appellate counsel’s performance is the
    same as that for trial counsel.” McKnight v. State, 
    1 N.E.3d 193
    , 204 (Ind. Ct.
    App. 2013) (citing Ward v. State, 
    969 N.E.2d 46
    , 75 (Ind. 2012)). Ineffective
    assistance of appellate counsel claims generally fall into three basic categories:
    (1) denial of access to an appeal; (2) waiver of issues; and (3) failure to present
    issues well. Gallien v. State, 
    19 N.E.3d 303
    , 311 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans.
    denied. Regarding a claim that counsel was ineffective in failing to raise an issue
    on appeal thus resulting in waiver for collateral review, judicial scrutiny is
    highly deferential, and the defendant must overcome the strongest presumption
    of adequate assistance. McKnight, 1 N.E.3d at 204.
    [26]   Here, Bates asserted on direct appeal, among other issues, that the prosecutor
    committed misconduct when, in closing argument, she stated that Campbell’s
    brother, Tommy, was handicapped, inferring that he could not have been the
    person who murdered Hogue. In this appeal, Campbell maintains that “[a]
    much stronger argument would [have been] that the prosecutor, in the critical
    period of closing argument, misconstrued the evidence [in the PowerPoint
    Slide], attempting to make the State’s case against Campbell stronger than it
    actually was.” Appellant’s Br. at 21. Campbell claims that his appellate counsel
    rendered ineffective assistance “by raising the issue of [the] description of his
    brother as handicapped instead of arguing the fundamental error of
    overemphasizing key pieces of DNA evidence[.]” Reply Br. at 9.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 14 of 16
    [27]   We employ a two-part test to evaluate “waiver of issue” claims: (1) whether the
    unraised issues are significant and obvious from the face of the record; and (2)
    whether the unraised issues are “clearly stronger” than the raised issues. Henley
    v. State, 
    881 N.E.2d 639
    , 645 (Ind. 2008). If the analysis under this test
    demonstrates deficient performance, then we examine whether, the issues that
    appellate counsel failed to raise would have been clearly more likely to result in
    reversal or an order for a new trial. Gallien, 19 N.E.3d at 307. “Counsel’s
    performance is rarely found ineffective when the issue is [counsel’s] failure to
    raise a claim on direct appeal.” Sanders v. State, 
    764 N.E.2d 706
    , 714 (Ind. Ct.
    App. 2002), trans. denied, cert. denied, 
    537 U.S. 916
     (2002). One reason for this is
    that the decision of what issues to raise is one of the most important strategic
    decisions to be made by appellate counsel. McKnight, 1 N.E.3d at 204.
    [28]   In this case, we cannot say that a claim regarding the PowerPoint Slide was
    “clearly stronger” than the claims that Bates pursued on direct appeal, nor was
    this unraised issue “clearly more likely to result in reversal or an order for new
    trial.” Henley, 881 N.E.2d at 649 (quoting Bieghler v. State, 
    690 N.E.2d 188
    , 194
    (Ind. 1997), cert. denied, 
    525 U.S. 1021
     (1998)). Campbell’s theory at trial was
    not only that the State could not prove that he murdered Hogue, but also that
    his brother Tommy may have been the person who killed Hogue. It was
    reasonable strategy for Bates to assert the claim on direct appeal that the State
    committed prosecutorial misconduct when it incorrectly represented Tommy as
    being handicapped and, by inference, unable to commit the crime, when part of
    Campbell’s theory of defense was that Tommy may have done it.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 15 of 16
    [29]   The post-conviction court determined that the PowerPoint Slide was a fair
    comment on the evidence and that appellate counsel was not ineffective for not
    raising the issue “as there was little chance of prevailing.” Appellant’s App. at
    124. Campbell has not demonstrated that the evidence is without conflict and
    leads only to a conclusion opposite that of the post-conviction court. The post-
    conviction court did not err in denying Campbell’s petition.
    [30]   Affirmed.
    Mathias, J., and Altice, J., concur.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 45A03-1610-PC-2328 | June 28, 2017   Page 16 of 16
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 45A03-1610-PC-2328

Filed Date: 6/28/2017

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 4/17/2021