ineffective assistance
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Colorado appeals court orders El Paso County judge to reopen case of man serving 100+ years
Colorado’s second-highest court last week ordered an El Paso County judge to hold a hearing on an incarcerated man’s claim that he received constitutionally-ineffective assistance of counsel, based on his trial lawyer’s decision not to call multiple witnesses who would have corroborated the defendant’s alibi. Antonio Jose Vargas Jr. is serving a 96-year sentence for…
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Federal judge allows inmate to sue prison employee for causing him to miss SCOTUS appeal deadline
A federal judge has agreed an incarcerated man can sue a prison employee for causing him to miss his deadline for filing a longshot challenge to his convictions with the U.S. Supreme Court, after the employee allegedly closed the facility’s library the day the petition was due. Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N.…
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Adams County judge wrongly denied defendant’s challenge because he forgot to sign form, appeals court rules
An Adams County judge should not have denied a defendant’s challenge to his convictions because he neglected to sign the bottom of his legal motion, Colorado’s Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday. Uto Essien has filed multiple rounds of claims to protest his 2009 convictions and three-decade prison sentence for crimes related to mortgage fraud.…