Franklin Howard. v. State of Tennessee

Following a remand for a new trial on the charge of first-degree premeditated murder, see State v. Howard, 30 S.W.3d 271 (Tenn. 2000), the Petitioner, Franklin Howard, was convicted of premeditated murder and two counts of felony murder, and the trial court imposed a life sentence. On direct appeal from the second trial, this Court reversed and dismissed the felony murder convictions but affirmed the premeditated murder conviction. State v. Franklin Howard, No. W2002-01680-CCA-R3-CD, 2004 WL 2715346 (Tenn. Crim. App. Nov. 18, 2004), perm. app. denied, (Tenn. Mar. 21, 2005). The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief claiming he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. The post-conviction court denied relief after a hearing, and the Petitioner now appeals. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.