161175P.pdf   04/18/2017  Jacques Slocum  v.  Wendy Kelley
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  16-1175
   U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - Pine Bluff   
   [PUBLISHED] [Smith, Author, with Wollman and Benton, Circuit Judges] 
   Prisoner case - habeas. The district court did not err in finding Slocum's 
   claims that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a 
   competency hearing and failing to present mitigating evidence during the 
   sentencing phase of his murder trial were procedurally defaulted; there 
   was no objective evidence that Slocum suffered from any medical illness 
   and his attorney was not deficient for failing to request a competency 
   hearing; counsel's failure to present any mitigating evidence during 
   sentencing did not fall below an objective standard of reasonableness; the 
   decision not to have Slocum testify was a reasonable strategic decision 
   given his lack of credibility and prior record; further, since Slocum 
   refused to let his wife testify, counsel had not other witness who could 
   present mitigating evidence.