State v. Owens

NEUMAN, Justice.

The State charged Milton Owens with being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Iowa Code section 724.26 (1999), 1 as well as a number of drug-related crimes, after Davenport police executed a search warrant at an apartment he occupied. A jury found Owens guilty as charged. Owens now claims he was denied effective legal assistance because trial counsel failed to (1) move to sever trial of the firearm charge from the drug offenses or, (2) timely request that the jury only be asked to answer an interrogatory about the firearm possession, without advising it about…