Adrian R. Washington v. State of Missouri

Missouri Court of Appeals·Decided December 26, 2023·No. ED111393·Published

Opinion

In the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District

DIVISION TWO

ADRIAN R. WASHINGTON, ) No. ED111393 )

Appellant, ) Appeal from the Circuit Court ) of the City of St. Louis vs. )

) Honorable Elizabeth B. Hogan STATE OF MISSOURI, )

)

Respondent. ) FILED: December 26, 2023

Introduction

Adrian R. Washington (“Washington”) appeals from the motion court’s judgment denying his Rule 29.151 motion for post-conviction relief following an evidentiary hearing. Washington raises three points on appeal. In Point One, Washington argues that the motion court clearly erred in denying his Rule 29.15 motion because Trial Counsel was ineffective for failing to adduce evidence that victim D.B., who testified that his cell phone was stolen, had a cell phone among his personal property immediately after the robbery. Point Two contends the motion court clearly erred in denying his motion for post-conviction relief because Trial Counsel was ineffective for failing to present evidence that DNA found on D.B.’s gun belonged to D.B. and not, as a DNA expert testified, to an “unknown male.” In Point Three, Washington alleges the motion court clearly erred in denying his Rule 29.15 motion because Trial Counsel provided

1 All Rule references are to Mo. R. Crim. P. (2019).

ineffective assistance by introducing multiple prior arrest photographs of Washington to impeach a detective who claimed he could not access a photograph of Washington with hair for the photographic lineup. Washington’s photograph in the photo spread was the only photograph of a Black male without hair. Because we find that Trial Counsel reasonably focused on a theory of defense that Washington was misidentified, the decision not to adduce evidence about D.B.’s cell phone and DNA was reasonable, and we deny Points One and Two. Similarly, we deny Point Three because seeking to impeach the detective with available photographs of Washington with hair was reasonable strategy in light of Trial Counsel’s misidentification defense. Accordingly, we affirm the motion court’s judgment.

Factual and Procedural History In 2016, the State charged Washington with one count of first-degree murder, four counts of first-degree robbery, five counts of armed criminal action, and one count of resisting arrest. The case proceeded to trial in 2018, where the following evidence was presented.2 On the night of January 18, 2016, a group of four men—A.B., D.B., C.Cu., and C.Cl.—

had plans to see a movie at the theater. They all got into A.B.’s car. A.B. drove, D.B. sat in the passenger seat, and C.Cu and C.Cl. were in the back of the car. D.B. legally carried a Glock 42 gun, which he stored in the console of A.B.’s passenger door. On the way to the movie theater, A.B. received an incoming call on his cell phone from a contact saved as “Baldhead.” A.B.’s phone was connected to his car, so the passengers saw “Baldhead” appear on the dashboard console and heard the ensuing conversation over the car speaker. Baldhead asked A.B. to meet up for a drug sale.

2 On appeal from a motion court’s denial of a Rule 29.15 motion, we interpret the facts in the light most favorable to the verdict and the judgment. McFadden v. State, 553 S.W.3d 289, 296 n.2 (Mo. banc 2018).

This was not the first time that D.B. and C.Cu had heard of Baldhead. D.B. had previously met Baldhead on three or four occasions. C.Cu. had met Baldhead earlier that day when A.B. and Baldhead met in a park for a brief conversation. Both D.B. and C.Cu. only knew Baldhead by his nickname.

A.B. and Baldhead pulled their cars into an alleyway and parked on a parking pad, and then exited their cars to talk. D.B., C.Cu., and C.Cl. remained in the car, observing A.B. and Baldhead from their seats. While A.B. and Baldhead talked, a masked man carrying a revolver exited Baldhead’s car and entered A.B.’s driver-side door. The masked man pointed his revolver at D.B., C.Cu., and C.Cl. and demanded they hand over their possessions. The masked man took D.B.’s money and phone, C.Cu.’s phone, and C.Cl.’s cigarettes. During the robbery, the passengers witnessed Baldhead draw a revolver and fire a single shot toward A.B.’s temple. Baldhead then yelled to the masked man to “[f]inish the job” or “get it over with” so they could leave.

Fearing for his safety, D.B. fired multiple rounds from his Glock 42 at the masked man.

The masked man fired back, and D.B. was shot in his hip and head. The masked man and Baldhead then fled the scene. D.B. instructed C.Cl. to grab the phones remaining in A.B.’s car. When police officers arrived, D.B. threw his Glock 42 onto the ground to indicate he was unarmed, and the officers seized the gun for forensic testing.

A.B. died at the scene from his gunshot wound. D.B. was transported to the hospital, where he reported to police officers that Baldhead shot A.B. C.Cu. described the shooter to police officers as being bald with skin pigmentation on his face and hands. C.Cl. could not recall his initial conversation with police officers, but later reported that Baldhead shot A.B.

Through a search warrant, police officers obtained call records from A.B.’s phone and discovered that seventy-three calls were exchanged between A.B. and a number associated with Washington in the five days preceding the shooting. Several calls were exchanged between the two numbers in the minutes just before the shooting. Based on this information, the police identified Washington as a suspect.

Washington has vitiligo—or skin pigmentation—and, at the time of the shooting, was bald. The detective (“Detective”) prepared a photographic lineup which included a photograph of Washington and several filler photos. Detective selected the fillers by searching for men with skin pigmentation. All the men featured in the filler photographs had skin pigmentation and hair; the photograph of Washington was the only photo of a bald man. The police showed the lineup to D.B., C.Cu., and C.Cl. separately, and each identified Washington as the person who shot A.B.

While cross-examining Detective, Trial Counsel engaged in the following exchange about the photographic lineup:

Trial Counsel: Mr. Washington was the only one with a bald head?

Detective: Correct.

Trial Counsel: You were working off the nickname [B]aldhead, right?

Detective: Correct.

....

Trial Counsel: You would agree that if you are able to find a photo or if you had a photo of Mr. Washington with some type of hair that [] you would have put that in there, that would have made a more fair or reliable lineup, correct?

Detective: Correct.

Trial Counsel then impeached Detective by showing eighteen of Washington’s prior booking photographs, from arrests as early as 2002, in which Washington had hair. The photographs were not redacted, and each photo listed the date of arrest, arresting jurisdiction, case number, as well as Washington’s height, weight, and age at arrest. Detective responded that, although he

did have access to the photographs through a crime matrix system, he needed a recent photograph of Washington for the lineup and those photos were too old.

At a sidebar, the trial court stated that Trial Counsel had opened the door for the State to bring in Washington’s prior arrest history. During redirect examination of Detective, the State introduced the photographs into evidence. Trial Counsel did not request a limiting instruction regarding the booking photographs. The State questioned the Detective about the photographs, but did not elicit any other information about Washington’s prior arrests. During closing argument, the State did not reference Washington’s prior arrest history.

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