Anderson v. State
Annotate this CaseAppellant Justin Anderson was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder of an elderly woman. Anderson filed a petition for postconviction relief, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. The circuit court denied the petition. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) (a) Anderson did not overcome the presumption that trial counsel's handling of the issue of Anderson's mental retardation was the result of reasonable professional judgment, (b) the fact that a doctor who participated in the issue of Anderson's mental retardation was later discredited did not warrant a remand, and (c) Anderson was not allowed to revisit the issue of conflicting expert evidence regarding Anderson's mental retardation and mental health presented at his trial; (2) Anderson failed to demonstrate that he was prejudiced by the admission of statements Anderson to police and counsel's failure to challenge aspects of the statements in relation to his mental retardation; and (3) the circuit court did not err in ruling that no mental impairment on the part of defense counsel had been proven.
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