Ex Parte Rhone

Walter Lee Rhone, Jr., filed a Rule 32, Ala. R.Crim. P., petition for postconviction relief, which the trial court denied. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the judgment of the trial court. Rhone v. State, 900 So.2d 443 (Ala.Crim.App. 2004). We reverse the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals in part and remand.

On July 29, 2002, Rhone, pro se, filed a Rule 32 petition in the trial court, seeking relief from his 1999 conviction and sentence.1 As grounds for relief, Rhone alleged that he had been denied the effective assistance of counsel in several respects at trial and on appeal. On…