State v. Magan

Citations

• 2026 Ohio 1466

Syllabus

BENCH TRIAL — DOMESTIC VIOLENCE — INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL — REJECTION OF PLEA OFFER — SUFFICIENCY — MANIFEST WEIGHT: The testimony of defendant's live-in partner and her sister, along with photographic evidence of victim's injuries, was sufficient for the trial court to find defendant guilty of domestic violence assault and assault following a bench trial. Further, domestic violence conviction was not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence where the record showed defendant knocked the victim to the ground and pinned her down by pressing his knee into her arm, thus causing \physical harm\ as defined in R.C. 2901.01(A)(3). Although defendant presented a different account of events, the trial court judge was in the best position to evaluate discrepancies in witness testimony and determine witness credibility. As to the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim regarding defendant's decision to reject the state's plea offer, defendant failed to show his trial counsel inadequately advised him of the offer or that he was unaware of the potential consequences associated with rejecting it. Further, defendant failed to demonstrate a reasonable probability he would have accepted the plea offer prior to trial but for trial counsel's conduct. Judgment affirmed.