Leavy Cowens v. Louie L. Wainwright, Director, Division of Corrections, State of Florida

Appellant, represented by counsel of his own selection, was convicted of robbery by a jury in the Florida State courts. His claim by way of a petition for habeas corpus is that his lawyer failed to call six witnesses who would have testified to his innocence. He contends that counsel was thus ineffective to the extent of amounting to denial of counsel within the meaning of the Sixth Amendment. He also claims that he was unlawfully arrested, had no counsel at the preliminary hearing, was charged by information rather than indictment, and that the public defender who represented him in a state…