Alberto Julio Garcia v. State of Mississippi

Summary

The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Garcia's post-conviction petition seeking to set aside his guilty plea to capital murder. The court held that the trial judge properly credited the existing expert evidence and her own observations, found Garcia competent and his plea voluntary, and rejected his challenges based on expert reliability, ineffective assistance, and the adequacy of psychological assistance. The court also held that several claims were procedurally barred or waived, and that the record independently defeated them on the merits.