State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Anthony Difrisco, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed the Law Division's denial of Anthony DiFrisco's post‑conviction relief petition, holding that his trial counsel did not provide constitutionally ineffective assistance on either the guilt or penalty phases. The Court applied the Strickland/Fritz test and the Marshall adaptation for prejudice, finding no reasonable probability that the jury's sentencing decision would have changed. A dissent argued that the defense was so deficient that it violated DiFrisco's right to effective counsel.