The Supreme Court of Ohio has declined to hear an appeal from an Adams County man who was found guilty on three counts of child rape and felonious assault in June 2016.
Gaffin had argued that the Adams County Common Pleas Court violated his right to due process under the Ohio and United States’ Constitution when it dismissed his post-conviction petition without conducting an evidentiary hearing. Gaffin argued that he produced sufficient credible evidence to demonstrate that he was denied his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel. According to Gaffin, the information contained in affidavits, when considered with the full record, establish a deficiency in his trial counsel’s performance that led to an unjust result at trial. Gaffin argued his legal representation did not call upon or interview witnesses that with their testimony could have led to a different outcome.
The entry signed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio read, “Upon consideration of the jurisdictional memoranda filed in this case, the court declines to accept jurisdiction of the appeal.”
Visiting Judge Rocky Coss sentenced Gaffin to life without parole for each count of rape with an additional eight years for the felonious assault charge.
