Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Aug 2, 2022
Delaunte Bozeman, Appellant, vs. State of Missouri, Respondent.
Delaunte Bozeman appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief, claiming his defense counsel was ineffective for failing to call an expert witness at sentencing to present mitigation evidence related to his juvenile status. The motion court denied relief, and the appellate court affirmed. The appellate court concluded that counsel's decision not to call an expert was a reasonable trial strategy, thus Movant failed to satisfy the performance prong of the Strickland test for ineffective assistance of counsel.