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Question
Rosa was charged with aggravated assault after a nightclub stabbing. Her appointed lawyer also represented Rosa's friend Eli, who was charged as an accomplice in the same case. Rosa repeatedly told the lawyer that she was across town at a food truck when the stabbing occurred and gave him the names of two workers who could confirm it. She also told him that a nearby transit station had security cameras. The lawyer did not contact the workers, request the camera footage, or move to sever the representation from Eli's case.
Before trial, prosecutors offered Rosa a plea to misdemeanor assault with probation. The lawyer told Rosa, incorrectly, that accepting any plea would automatically make her deportable and that she should reject the offer. Rosa rejected it. At trial, Eli's defense was that Rosa acted alone, and Rosa's lawyer did not cross-examine Eli about that claim because the lawyer feared hurting Eli's case. Rosa was convicted and received five years in prison. The food-truck workers later signed affidavits placing Rosa across town, but the camera footage had been overwritten.
Rosa seeks postconviction relief for ineffective assistance of counsel. Analyze her claims based on investigation, plea advice, conflict of interest, prejudice, and remedy.