Billy Joe Carter v. State of Tennessee

A Cocke County jury convicted the Petitioner, Billy Joe Carter, of first degree murder, first degree felony murder, and especially aggravated robbery. The jury sentenced him to life in the Department of Correction without the possibility of parole for the two first degree murder convictions, and the trial court sentenced him to 40 years in the Department of Correction as a Range II, multiple offender for the especially aggravated robbery conviction. On direct appeal, this Court ordered the trial court to merge the two first degree murder convictions, and we affirmed the Petitioner’s convictions in all other respects. State v. Billy Joe Carter, No. E2005-01282-CCA-R3-CD, 2007 WL 1515010 (Tenn. Crim. App. May 24, 2007), perm. app. denied (Tenn. Aug. 13, 2007). The Petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief claiming that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel because his trial counsel failed to request a pre-trial mental evaluation of him. After a thorough review of the record and applicable authorities, we affirm the post-conviction court’s dismissal of his petition.