Guerrero v. Rhode Island
Annotate this CaseApplicant Eddy Guerrero appealed the denial of his application for postconviction relief. His sole contention on appeal was that the hearing justice erred in holding that his trial counsel provided effective assistance of counsel prior to and during Applicant's plea of nolo contendere. Specifically, Applicant contended: (1) that his counsel failed to obtain an interpreter for him at the time of the hearing on his motion to suppress certain evidence and at the time of his eventual plea; (2) that, prior to his execution of the plea form, his counsel failed to properly explain to him the essential elements of the offense to which he ultimately pled nolo contendere; (3) that his trial counsel failed to meet with him in a setting conducive to meaningful attorney-client communications; (4) that, by not conducting a sufficient investigation, his counsel failed to properly prepare for the suppression hearing; and (5) that the hearing justice erred in failing to address the prejudice component of the analysis relative to ineffective assistance of counsel allegations that is described in "Strickland v. Washington," (466 U.S. 668 (1984)). Upon review, the Supreme Court found none of Applicant's arguments on appeal to have merit, and affirmed the superior court's judgment.
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