Dumas v. State

McMillian, Judge.

Gregory Dumas appeals the denial of his motion for new trial after a jury convicted him of rape and child molestation. On appeal, he asserts that the trial court erred in denying his claim that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel. We agree and reverse.

Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict,1 the evidence showed that for a four-month period between 1999 and 2000, the victim lived with her mother, sister, and Dumas, who was her mother’s boyfriend at the time. On one occasion, when the victim was around seven years old and her mother was at work, the…