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Woods v. State9/13/1999
A jury convicted Pedro Woods and Christopher Grier of felony murder in connection with the death of Willie Moss. Both defendants claim that their attorneys at trial were ineffective and the evidence was insufficient to convict them of murder. Because the evidence was sufficient and their attorneys were not ineffective, we affirm.
1. The evidence presented at trial shows that Moss fought several people on February 19, 1995. Initially Pedro Woods called Moss from the porch of the house where they were attending a party. They exchanged blows in the street, and others joined Woods, including his brother and Grier. At some point, Moss hit the ground where various persons in the crowd swung and kicked him. A friend eventually helped Moss up, and he returned to the house with a deep hole in his head and blood on his face. He challenged Alonzo Williams as one of his attackers, and Williams slung Moss to the ground. Moss then was given a towel for his head and was leaving for the hospital when police arrived. Moss told officers that Pedro and his gang had jumped on him and that "Pedro did this." As he was talking with police, Moss saw Chris Grier and said, "There comes some of them down the street now." He started towards Grier, threw his towel at Grier's face, and swung at him. Grier hit Moss once in the face with his fist, knocked him flat on the pavement, and acted like he wanted to keep fighting, but his friends pushed him away. Moss lapsed into a coma and died more than two years later in a nursing home. The pathologist testified that the cause of death was the blunt head injuries. Both Woods and Grier admitted hitting Moss, but denied making him fall to the ground. After reviewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury's determination of guilt, we conclude that a rational trier of fact could have found Woods and Grier guilty of the crime charged.
2. The standard for determining ineffective assistance of counsel is whether trial counsel's performance was deficient and, if so, whether the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. "When a defendant challenges a conviction, the question is whether there is a reasonable probability that, absent the errors, the fact finder would have had a reasonable doubt respecting guilt."
A. Both defendants complain that their attorneys were ineffective for failing to investigate and present the victim's medical treatment as the cause of his death. Although both attorneys reviewed the victim's medical records and considered arguing that improper medical treatment was the intervening cause of death, they rejected that theory in favor of a self-defense theory. The medical experts testified at trial that Moss never regained consciousness after being hit by Grier, spent the last two years in a deep coma in a hospital or nursing home, and died as a result of the head injuries that had rendered him unconscious. Thus, any problems with the victim's medical treatment would have been a secondary cause of death, rather than the intervening cause. As a result, the decision of trial counsel to rely on the theory of self-defense was a tactical decision that was within the range of reasonable professional assistance.
B. In addition, Grier contends that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and adequately prepare for trial. Prior to trial, Grier's attorney obtained Grier's file from his former counsel, met with counsel for the co-defendants to share information, met with the defendant and his family, and interviewed several witnesses. In addition, trial counsel reviewed the victim's voluminous medical records and the district attorney's file, including the testimony of law enforcement officers at the prelimi
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