Sylvester v. State

11 Appellant Ardwin Sylvester appeals from the denial of his pro se petition for postconviction relief filed pursuant to Rule 37.1(2016) of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure. On appeal, Sylvester raises three grounds to reverse the trial court’s order: his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to call his mother, Wanda Mata, as a mitigation witness to provide testimony describing his history of being sexually assaulted as a child and his history of mental illness; his trial counsel failed to obtain copies of a DNA report that was inconclusive in linking Sylvester to the crime; and…