Gregory Mahrt v. Jeffrey Beard

OPINION

W. FLETCHER, Circuit Judge:

The State of California appeals from a grant of habeas corpus to Petitioner Gregory Mahrt. The district court found that Mahrt’s state-court guilty plea rested on a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel. For the reasons that follow, we reverse.

I. Factual Background

On September 3, 2012, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in Pe-taluma, California. A neighbor had reported that a “male and female subject [were] arguing over a gun.” The property was owned by Robyn Ryan,…