Christopher Nicol Cox v. State of Tennessee

The Petitioner, Christopher Nicol Cox, appeals from the Scott County Criminal Court’s
denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. On appeal, the Petitioner argues the postconviction
court erred in denying his petition in that he received ineffective assistance of
counsel due to trial counsel’s (1) failure to object, move for a mistrial, or request a curative
instruction after a prospective juror stated she had previously “dealt with” the Petitioner
through her work with child protective services, (2) releasing an alibi witness from his
subpoena when he failed to appear at trial, and (3) failure to adequately advise the Petitioner
regarding his right to testify. The Petitioner also asserts that the cumulative effect of trial
counsel’s errors entitles him to post-conviction relief. Discerning no error, we affirm.