Billy Joe Sisk v. State

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE FILED AT KNOXVILLE August 12, 1999 Cecil Crowson, Jr. JUNE 1999 SESSION Appellate C ourt Clerk BILLY JOE SISK, * C.C.A. # 03C01-9807-CC-00256 Appellant, * COCKE COUNTY VS. * Honorable Ben W. Hooper II, Judge STATE OF TENNESSEE, * (Post-Conviction) Appellee. * FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE: SUSANNA LAWS-THOMAS PAUL G. SUMMERS Assistant Public Defender Attorney General & Reporter 102 Mims Avenue Newport, TN 37821-3614 TODD R. KELLEY Assistant Attorney General 425 Fifth Avenue North Nashville, TN 37243-0493 AL C. SCHMUTZER, JR. District Attorney General JAMES BRUCE DUNN Assistant District Attorney General 339-A East Main Street Newport, TN 37821 OPINION FILED: _______________ AFFIRMED - RULE 20 JOHN EVERETT WILLIAMS, Judge OPINION Billy Joe Sisk appeals from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Cocke County dismissing his petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner was convicted of aggravated assault and second degree murder and was sentenced to concurrent terms of three and eighteen years respectively. This Court affirmed his convictions and sentences on direct appeal. See State v. Billy Joe Sisk, Cocke County, No. 03C01-9410-CR-00367 (Tenn. Crim. App. filed January 17, 1997, at Knoxville). On June 23, 1997, the petitioner filed a pro se motion for post-conviction relief, alleging that his trial counsel was ineffective. The trial court granted an evidentiary hearing and, finding no merit to the petitioners allegations, dismissed the petition. After carefully reviewing the record and arguments of counsel, we conclude that the evidence does not preponderate against the findings of the trial court, and we find no error of law mandating reversal. Therefore, pursuant to Rule 20 of the Court of Criminal Appeals, we AFFIRM the judgment of the trial court. _____________________________ JOHN EVERETT W ILLIAMS, Judge CONCUR: ____________________________ JOHN H. PEAY, Judge _____________________________ DAVID G. HAYES, Judge -2-