State v. Felder

Harwell, Justice:

Appellant and his two codefendants were tried before a jury. Appellant was found guilty of second degree criminal sexual conduct and third degree burglary. The appellant was sentenced to concurrent sentences of fifteen years and two years, respectively. At trial, all three codefendants were represented by the same attorney.

Appellant claims that he was denied effective assistance of counsel due to the court’s failure to inquire whether a conflict of interest existed. According to appellant, the conflicting oral and written statements of the codefendants should have put the…