WILLIE LEE HUGHES, JR. v. STATE OF TENNESSEE - Articles

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WILLIE LEE HUGHES, JR. v. STATE OF TENNESSEE

Posted by: Karen Belcher on Nov 19, 2019

Court: TN Court of Criminal Appeals

Attorneys 1:

Vakessha Hood-Schneider, Franklin, Tennessee, for the appellant, Willie Lee Hughes, Jr.

Attorneys 2:

Herbert H. Slatery III, Attorney General and Reporter; Clark B. Thornton, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Kim R. Helper, District Attorney General; and Mary Katharine White, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

Judge(s): HOLLOWAY

A Williamson County jury convicted Petitioner, Willie Lee Hughes, Jr., of aggravated robbery, for which he received a sentence of twenty-five years’ incarceration.1 Petitioner filed for post-conviction relief, which was denied following an evidentiary hearing. Petitioner appeals, asserting that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel based on trial counsel’s failure to: (1) explore racial bias during jury selection; (2) challenge the lack of diversity in the venire; (3) advise Petitioner of his right to allocution at sentencing; and (4) argue on appeal that the trial court erred by failing to declare a mistrial after being advised of an interaction between jurors and Petitioner’s son. Following a thorough review, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court. 

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