A friend of mine has been in prison for 8 years now. He filed an appeal but was denied. There was never a trial, he accepted a plea because he was scared and his attorney did not show up. They gave him a public defender who advised him to take the plea. He was dealing drugs and was called for pills. After he arrived at the house they tried to rob him for the pills. They pulled a gun on him and that is when he shot the guy in the shoulder. He was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon and he never took anything. He accepted a plea of 25 years because he was facing 50 and was scared. We are not sure why they denied his appeal. Is there anything left he can do?

With an appeal he has to prove he can provide new evidence in his favor from the way I learned the law. Since he took the plea that works against him too.