YARBOROUGH, WARDEN V. GENTRY
124 S.Ct. 1 (2003)
NATURE OF THE CASE: This was a dispute over effective assistance of counsel.
FACTS: Gentry (D) was convicted in California state court of assault with a deadly weapon
for stabbing his girlfriend, Handy. D claimed he stabbed her accidentally during a dispute
with a drug dealer. Handy testified for the prosecution. She stated that she recalled being
stabbed but could not remember the details of the incident. The prosecution then confronted
Handy with her testimony from a preliminary hearing that D had placed his hand around her
throat before stabbing her twice. Albert Williams, a security guard in a neighboring
building, testified that he saw D, Handy, and another man from his third-floor window.
According to Williams, D swung his hand into Handy's left side with some object, causing her
to lean forward and scream. Williams was inconsistent about the quality of light at the
time, stating variously that it was 'pretty dark' or 'getting dark,' that 'it wasn't that
dark,' and that the area of the stabbing was 'lighted up.' D claimed that he had stabbed
Handy accidentally while pushing her out of the way. When asked about prior convictions, he
falsely stated that he had been convicted only once; evidence showed he had been separately
convicted of burglary, grand theft, battery on a peace officer, and being a felon in
possession of a firearm. He attributed his error to confusion about whether a plea bargain
counted as a conviction. D was convicted and appealed claiming that his counsel's closing
argument deprived him of effective assistance of counsel. The court of appeals rejected his
contentions and the California Supreme Court refused review. The District Court denied
habeas corpus but the Ninth Circuit reversed.
ISSUE:
RULE OF LAW:
HOLDING AND DECISION:
LEGAL ANALYSIS:
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