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Kenneth Leroy Adams
v.
State of Iowa
Appellant
Kenneth Leroy Adams
Appellee
State of Iowa
Attorney for the Appellant
Dylan J. Thomas
Attorney for the Appellee
Zachary Miller, Assistant Attorney General
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Cerro Gordo County, Chris Foy, Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by May, P.J., and Greer and Schumacher, JJ. Opinion by Greer, J. (13 pages)
Kenneth Adams appeals from the denial of his application for postconviction relief (PCR) following his conviction for child endangerment resulting in death. Adams asserts the PCR court erred in rejecting three ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims: (1) Trial counsel was ineffective for failing to seek exclusion of a medical examiner’s expert opinion testimony on cause and manner of death; (2) trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move for a mistrial after the medical examiner questioned her knowledge of copyright law on cross-examination; (3) trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a jury instruction stating guilt cannot be inferred from a criminal defendant’s decision not to testify at trial. OPINION HOLDS: Adams fails to demonstrate breach of an essential duty in any of his ineffective-assistance claims. We affirm the PCR court’s denial of relief.
