Steward v. People

James M. Steward was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. C.R.S. 1963, 40-2-34. In post-conviction proceedings, he has sought reversal by asserting various grounds, including a claim of incompetence of his defense counsel. In our opinion, the defendant’s claims are without merit, and we, therefore, affirm.

When trial strategy fails to produce an acquittal, incompetence of counsel cannot be said to exist by way of presumption or by wild speculation. The charge made by the defendant in this case, which attempts to discredit the legal abilities of his counsel, is one that we see all too…