People v. Fernandez

Summary

The Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of defendant's post-conviction motion, holding that trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to further investigate defendant's mental health and substance abuse history. Counsel had pursued a reasonable alternative strategy that defendant believed he had been promised immunity in exchange for his statements, and the existing evidence supported that strategy. The court emphasized that counsel need not exhaust every possible avenue of investigation when the chosen strategy is reasonable under the circumstances.