McKnight v. State

Chief Justice TOAL:

In this case, the post-conviction relief (PCR) court denied Petitioner’s application alleging numerous grounds for ineffective assistance of counsel. This Court granted certiorari and we reverse the PCR court’s denial of relief on several grounds.

Factual/Procedural Background

Petitioner Regina McKnight gave birth to a nearly full-term stillborn baby girl in May 1999. An autopsy revealed inflammations in the placenta and umbilical cord respectively known as chorioamnionitis and funisitis, as well as the presence of benzoylecgonine (BZE), a by-product of cocaine. The autopsy…