OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court has unanimously reinstated a Lakewood woman’s murder conviction, saying her lawyer was not ineffective.
Kristina Grier was convicted of second-degree murder in a fatal shooting that occurred at her house during a night of heavy drinking while she was grappling with a man who had assaulted her son and stolen two of her guns. At trial, her lawyer decided that jurors should not be instructed to consider whether she was guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. The lawyer apparently believed that an all-or-nothing strategy gave Grier the best chance at an outright acquittal.
The state Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 2009, finding that legal strategy deficient. The high court disagreed Thursday. It sent the case back to the appeals judges to consider other claims Grier is making in her appeal.
