Jeffrey Martin v. State of Tennessee

The Petitioner, Jeffrey Martin, entered a best-interest guilty plea in two cases. In one case, he pled guilty to statutory rape in exchange for a suspended two-year sentence. In the second case, the Petitioner pled guilty to the sale of .5 grams or more of cocaine, and he received a sentence of twenty years in prison as a Range II, multiple offender. The trial judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently, and it ordered that the sentences run concurrently with all other Maury County convictions. On appeal, the Petitioner contends that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel, causing his guilty pleas to be entered unknowingly and involuntarily. The Petitioner also argues that the post-conviction court erred when it required him to testify at the post-conviction hearing about the underlying facts of his convictions. After a thorough review of the record and relevant authorities, we conclude that the Petitioner did not establish that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel, that his guilty pleas were knowingly and voluntarily entered, and that the post-conviction court did not err in requiring the Petitioner’s testimony. Accordingly, we affirm the post-conviction court’s dismissal of the petition for post-conviction relief.