William Hanes v. David Dormire, Superintendent

BOWMAN, Circuit Judge.

William Hanes appeals from the order of the District Court2 denying his petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The District Court issued a certificate of appealability (COA) under 28 U.S.C. § 2253 on a single issue, namely whether Hanes’s counsel was constitutionally ineffective in preparation for trial.3 We affirm.

I

A jury found Hanes guilty of the first degree murder of John F. Barlow. In short, the evidence adduced at trial showed that Hanes and Robert Sprouse, who testified against Hanes at trial, inject*696ed Barlow with a cleaning fluid called…