Parrish Towns V. Smith

David Smith, Warden, appeals the district court's conditional grant of Parrish Towns's petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Because Parrish Towns's two brothers also are involved in this case, we generally will refer to Parrish Towns by his first name. The district court held that Parrish's trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance in violation of the Sixth Amendment by failing to investigate a witness who had admitted to the police, among others, that he had been involved in the crimes of which Parrish was ultimately convicted and that Parrish had played no part in those crimes. For the reasons that follow, as well as those expressed in the district court's well-reasoned opinion, we AFFIRM.