Roger Lee MIDDLEBROOK, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
*639 Roger Lee Middlebrook, appellant, pro se.
Office of the Attorney General by Jacob Ray, attorney for appellee.
Before KING, C.J., GRIFFIS AND BARNES, JJ.
GRIFFIS, J., for the Court.
¶ 1. Roger Middlebrook appeals the denial of his motion for post-conviction relief. On appeal, Middlebrook alleges numerous errors, but they can be summed up into three headings: (1) the conviction was based on illegal evidence; (2) he was not afforded effective assistance of counsel; and (3) the trial court was in error when it summarily denied Middlebrook's motion without an evidentiary hearing. We find no error and affirm.
FACTS
¶ 2. On August 29, 2003, Middlebrook was indicted for the sale of cocaine to an informant. He entered a plea of guilty to the charge, which following a plea hearing, the trial court accepted. The trial court then sentenced Middlebrook to fifteen years imprisonment with five years to serve and ten years suspended.
¶ 3. On December 14, 2004, Middlebrook filed a motion for post-conviction relief in Forrest County. The trial court, after reviewing the motion, summarily denied it. Middlebrook now appeals.
STANDARD OF REVIEW
¶ 4. A trial court's denial of post-conviction relief will not be reversed absent a finding that the trial court's decision was clearly erroneous. Smith v. State,
ANALYSIS
I. Whether the evidence upon which the conviction is based was illegally acquired.
¶ 5. Middlebrook argues that the conviction was based on two faulty pieces of evidence. The first piece of evidence that he challenges is that the video recording of the sale of cocaine was illegally obtained. He also alleges that the informant provided inaccurate information.
¶ 6. While these allegations may have been valid concerns during a trial, they are of no consequence as Middlebrook *640 pled guilty. As the State aptly points out, the guilty plea constituted a waiver of those issues. Anderson v. State,
II. Whether Middlebrook was afforded effective assistance of counsel.
¶ 7. Middlebrook argues that his counsel was ineffective for advising him to plead guilty and for failure to further investigate the background of the criminal informant.
¶ 8. To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, Middlebrook must demonstrate that his counsel's performance was deficient and that this deficiency prejudiced his defense. Strickland v. Washington,
¶ 9. As to the allegation that Middlebrook's counsel was ineffective for advising him to plead guilty after viewing the videotape, it is without merit. Counsel has "a duty to fairly, even if that means pessimistically, inform the client of the likely outcome of a trial based upon the facts of the case." Daughtery v. State,
¶ 10. As to the allegation for failure to investigate the background of the criminal informant, it is likewise without merit. For failure to investigate to arise to the level of ineffective assistance of counsel, the defendant must state with particularity what the investigation would have revealed and how it would have altered the outcome. Triplett v. State,
¶ 11. Therefore, we find that Middlebrook was afforded effective assistance of counsel and this issue is without merit.
III. Whether the trial court was in error when it summarily denied Middlebrook's motion without an evidentiary hearing.
¶ 12. Next, Middlebrook argues that the trial court should have granted *641 an evidentiary hearing on his motion for post-conviction relief. The supreme court has held, "a post-conviction collateral relief petition which meets basic requirements is sufficient to mandate an evidentiary hearing unless it appears beyond doubt that the petitioner can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief." Marshall v. State,
¶ 13. Therefore, the trial court was not in error when it dismissed his motion without an evidentiary hearing.
¶ 14. THE JUDGMENT OF THE FORREST COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT DENYING POST-CONVICTION RELIEF IS AFFIRMED. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO FORREST COUNTY.
KING, C.J., LEE AND MYERS, P.JJ., IRVING, CHANDLER, BARNES, ISHEE, ROBERTS AND CARLTON, JJ., CONCUR.
