Cox v. State

772 S.W.2d 336, 299 Ark. 312, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 342
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 3, 1989
DocketCR 88-157
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 772 S.W.2d 336 (Cox v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cox v. State, 772 S.W.2d 336, 299 Ark. 312, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 342 (Ark. 1989).

Opinions

Jack Holt, Jr., Chief Justice.

In September 1987 appellant Terry Cox entered a plea of guilty to the charge of first degree murder. In March 1988 he filed a Rule 37 petition with the circuit court alleging ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Relief was denied. From that order comes this appeal. We affirm.

Cox raises two points concerning the denial of his Rule 37 petition. First, he maintains counsel was ineffective because the attorney allowed Cox to plead guilty despite a meritorious speedy trial argument. Next, he argues the court erred in finding his guilty plea had been entered knowingly and intelligently since his attorney had failed to inform him that entering a guilty plea would result in a waiver of the right to appellate review. Neither argument has merit.

Along with co-defendant Wayne Duncan, Cox was charged on October 18, 1982, with three counts of attempted first degree murder. The information was twice amended in November 1982, resulting in multiple counts including a capital murder charge.

Later, a motion to sever was granted. On April 11, 1983, six months after charges had been filed, defense counsel Dick Jarboe and prosecuting attorney Jim Stallcup agreed that Cox’s case would be continued until after the trial of co-defendant Wayne Duncan. Defense counsel considered the agreement an opportunity to “dry run” the case and agreed to waive any speedy trial claims. No order was entered or docket entry made until a motion for continuance was filed on July 13, 1983, with a corresponding notation in the docket “Motion for continuance for defendant Terry Cox.”

Duncan was tried in April 1985, three years after charges had been filed. His conviction was appealed on speedy trial grounds. While the appeal was pending, Cox’s case was set for October 1985. Cox then employed additional counsel. Shortly before trial, new counsel moved for a continuance based on health problems. An order granting this continuance and also setting out the April 1983 continuance agreement was entered on November 1, 1985. The case was set for May 1986 but again continued by agreement of counsel until October. On October 9, 1986, some four years after charges had been filed, Cox’s new counsel moved to dismiss on speedy trial grounds. Co-counsel Jarboe thereupon withdrew in light of his earlier agreement to waive any speedy trial claims.

In December 1987, we reversed and dismissed co-defendant Duncan’s conviction on speedy trial grounds. Duncan v. State, 294 Ark. 105, 740 S.W.2d 923 (1987). No continuances of record had been filed in Duncan until after the speedy trial period had passed, nor were there any other excludable periods, and “the State offér[ed] no explanation whatsoever for the failure to try the defendant in a timely manner.”

On May 11, 1987, the trial court denied Cox’s motion to dismiss on speedy trial grounds based on the April 1983 agreement between defense counsel and the prosecutor to continue Cox’s case until after Duncan’s trial. This time period was excluded as a period of delay “for good cause” under A.R.Cr.P. Rule 28.3(h). The court noted the agreement included an express waiver of any speedy trial claims.

At some point, a negotiated plea agreement was discussed whereby the prosecutor would recommend a forty year sentence if Cox entered a guilty plea. Counsel for Cox later testified it was felt that if Cox contested the speedy trial issue or sought an appeal following trial, the plea offer would be dropped. For that reason, and because counsel did not think it was wise to expose appellant to a possible sentence of death or life imprisonment without parole if the case went to trial, Cox was encouraged to enter a guilty plea. On September 10, 1987, appellant entered a plea of guilty to first degree murder.

Cox filed his Rule 37 petition in March 1988 alleging ineffective assistance of trial counsel. The petition asserted that trial counsel was ineffective because the attorney allowed Cox to plead guilty despite a meritorious speedy trial claim. In support of his petition, Cox pointed out that co-defendant Duncan’s case had been reversed and dismissed on speedy trial grounds, and he argued the trial court failed to comply with A.R.Cr.P. Rule 28.3(i) and Shaw v. State, 18 Ark. App. 243, 712 S.W.2d 338 (1986) . At the hearing on the Rule 37 petition, an additional issue developed as to whether defense counsel informed Cox that the entry of a guilty plea would result in a waiver of appellate review.

It is appellant’s burden to prove counsel’s assistance was ineffective. Franklin v. State, 293 Ark. 225, 736 S.W.2d 16 (1987). In fact, counsel is presumed competent, and the burden of overcoming that presumption rests on Cox. Franklin, supra; Stobaugh v. State, 298 Ark. 577, 769 S.W.2d 26 (1989). To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, Cox must first demonstrate that counsel’s performance was deficient. This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that the attorney was not functioning as the “counsel” guaranteed by the sixth amendment. Second, there must be a showing that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense, which requires showing that counsel’s errors were so serious as to deprive Cox of a fair trial. Pettit v. State, 296 Ark. 423, 748 S.W.2d 1 (1988). Unless Cox makes both showings, it cannot be said that his conviction resulted from a breakdown in the adversary process that rendered the result unreliable. O’Rourke v. State, 298 Ark. 144, 765 S.W.2d 916 (1989).

More importantly, Cox’s conviction is based upon a plea of guilty. The guilty plea was the trial in this case. Irons v. State, 267 Ark. 469, 591 S.W.2d 650 (1980). An appellant having entered such a plea normally will have considerable difficulty in proving any prejudice since his plea rests upon his admission in open court that he did the act with which he was charged. Franklin, supra; Crockett v. State, 282 Ark. 582, 669 S.W.2d 896 (1984). Courts must indulge in a strong presumption that counsel’s conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance, and Cox must show there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s errors, he would not have entered a guilty plea. A reasonable probability is one sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome of the proceedings. In making a determination on a claim of ineffectiveness, the totality of the evidence must be considered. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).

Cox presents two reasons why his speedy trial claim was meritorious. We find neither reason convincing and hence cannot say the speedy trial claim had merit. As such, Cox is unable to demonstrate that counsel was ineffective for allowing him to enter a guilty plea under these circumstances. That being the case, the contention that it was error to deny the Rule 37 petition is groundless.

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Bluebook (online)
772 S.W.2d 336, 299 Ark. 312, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 342, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cox-v-state-ark-1989.