BROWN, Judge.
Kenneth Kelly, pro se, appeals the post-conviction court's denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. Kelly raises four issues, one of which we find dispositive and restate as whether the trial court erred in summarily denying Kelly's petition. We reverse and remand.
The relevant facts follow. On August 25, 2004, the State charged Kelly with murder. Kelly pled guilty.
Later that day, the court held the sentencing hearing, and the State again moved to continue and argued that "any hearing that would proceed could create an issue on appeal no matter which way this Court ruled as to whether or not Mr. Kelly is represented at this hearing...." Id. at 25. The court asked Kelly's counsel: "Okay—any response? I assume not." Id. Kelly's counsel replied: "None your honor." Id. The court stated that "Kelly is represented by counsel, remains represented by counsel," and denied the State's motion. Id. The State then asked for "the ability to stay the sentencing based upon an interlocutory appeal," which the court denied. Id. at 26. The record on appeal does not contain Kelly's sentence.
On July 12, 2006, Kelly filed a petition for post-conviction relief.
On May 20, 2010, the State filed a motion for summary disposition of Kelly's petition, which stated:
Id. at 51. On May 21, 2010, the court summarily denied Kelly's petition without findings.
The dispositive issue is whether the post-conviction court erred by summarily denying Kelly's petition for post-conviction relief. The petitioner in a post-conviction proceeding bears the burden of establishing grounds for relief by a preponderance of the evidence. Fisher v. State, 810 N.E.2d 674, 679 (Ind.2004); Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(5). When appealing from the denial of post-conviction relief, the petitioner stands in the position of one appealing from a negative judgment. Fisher, 810 N.E.2d at 679. On review, we will not reverse the judgment unless the evidence as a whole unerringly and unmistakably leads to a conclusion opposite that reached by the post-conviction court. Id.
Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(f) provides: "If the pleadings conclusively show that petitioner is entitled to no relief, the court may deny the petition without further proceedings." "When a court disposes of a petition under subsection f, we essentially review the lower court's decision as we would a motion for judgment on the pleadings." Tyson v. State, 868 N.E.2d 855, 857 (Ind.Ct.App.2007), reh'g denied, trans. denied. "The court errs in disposing of a petition in this manner unless `the pleadings conclusively show that petitioner is entitled to no relief'" Id. (citing Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(f)). "If the petition alleges only errors of law, then the court may determine without a hearing whether the petitioner is entitled to relief on those questions." Id. "However, if the facts pled raise an issue of possible merit, then the petition should not be disposed of under section 4(f)." Id. "This is true even though the petitioner has only a remote chance of establishing his claim." Id. "[T]he trial court should accept the well-pled facts as true and determine whether the petition raises an issue of possible merit." Id.
The issue of the effectiveness of counsel is an evidentiary question. Sherwood v. State, 453 N.E.2d 187, 189 (Ind. 1983). Resolution of the issue revolves around the particular facts of each case. Id. "Thus some factual determinations must be made." Id. Consequently, when a petitioner alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, and the facts pled raise an issue of possible merit, the petition should not be summarily denied. Allen v. State, 791 N.E.2d 748, 756 (Ind.Ct.App.2003), trans. denied.
In examining the pleadings, we note that Kelly's amended petition alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective at the competency and sentencing hearing and that his trial counsel never performed any investigation into his state of mind. These allegations raise issues of possible merit and, thus, Kelly's petition should not have been disposed of under Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(f).
We also note that Post-Conviction Rule 1(6) requires the post-conviction court to "make specific findings of fact and conclusions of law on all issues presented, whether or not a hearing is held." Clayton, 673 N.E.2d at 786 (quoting Post-Conviction Rule 1(6)). The trial court failed to comply with the rule when it summarily dismissed Kelly's petition without findings. "This failure is an additional reason for remand." Id.
For the foregoing reasons, we reverse the post-conviction court's denial of Kelly's petition for post-conviction relief and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Reversed and remanded.
FRIEDLANDER, J., and BAILEY, J., concur.
Appellant's Brief at 22. However, Kelly also argued earlier in his brief that "an evidentiary hearing is necessary" because "[t]here are facts not resolved and questions have been raised as to the effectiveness and adequacy of the Appellant's counsel and whether there existed a genuine issue of material fact dealing with said issues." Id. at 21-22. Given the nature of the issues and Kelly's arguments, we cannot say that Kelly's motion should have been disposed of under Ind. Post-Conviction Rule 1(4)(f).