Joseph Hyungseop Shim v. R. Morales

BACKGROUND

Petitioner, a California inmate proceeding pro se, initiated this action by filing the pending Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus by a Person in State Custody under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (“Petition”) on February 3, 2025. (Dkt. No. 1.) The Petition raises a claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel and seeks relief from a June 3, 2015 conviction by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury of three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14, two counts of lewd and lascivious acts involving children aged or 15, and a special circumstance finding that the crimes were committed against more than one victim (case no. BA411385). (Id. at 2); see also People v. Shim, No. B264605, 2017 WL 436056, at *1 (Cal. Ct. App. Feb. 1, 2017). The trial court sentenced Petitioner to an indeterminate term of 25 years to life in state prison. Id. Petitioner’s direct appeal of the above convictions and sentence was denied on February 1, 2017. People v. Shim, 2017 WL 436056 at *1, 27. The California Supreme Court denied review of the state appellate court’s decision on May 10, 2017. People v. Shim, No. S240611 at Dkt. No. 5 (Cal. 2017),…