Donahue v. State

655 S.W.2d 642, 1983 Mo. App. LEXIS 4420
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 14, 1983
DocketNo. WD33684
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 655 S.W.2d 642 (Donahue v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Donahue v. State, 655 S.W.2d 642, 1983 Mo. App. LEXIS 4420 (Mo. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

WASSERSTROM, Judge.

The movant Donahue appeals from a denial of his motion for post conviction relief under Rule 27.26. We hold: (1) Donahue entered the questioned guilty plea intelligently and knowingly; (2) the state did not breach the plea bargain with movant in such a substantial respect as to require relief; and (3) if there was a breach by the state, any such breach was waived by Donahue.

In June 1978 Donahue was convicted by a jury in case CR78-0331 and was sentenced by Judge Bondurant to 10 years imprisonment. Thereafter in October 1978 Donahue was found guilty by a jury in case CR77-1486 and was sentenced by Judge Mason to 25 years on one count, 5 years on a second count and 5 years on a third count, all those sentences to run concurrently and all to run concurrently with the sentence which had been entered by Judge Bondurant in case CR78-0331.

The conviction in CR78-0331 was appealed and reversed. In December 1979 the case came before Judge Levitt on remand, and Donahue pleaded guilty. Pursuant to plea bargain, Judge Levitt entered sentence of 7 years which was to run concurrently with the sentence in CR77-1486. At the time of that proceeding before Judge Levitt, the following questions were asked of Donahue and the following answers given:

“Q Now, do you understand what the plea bargain arrangement is in this case?
A Yes, sir.
Q Would you state that?
A Seven years.
Q You understand that the state is going to recommend a sentence of seven years?
A Yes, sir.
Q And it is to run concurrent with case No. CR77-1486?
A Yes, sir.
Q That’s the case on appeal also?
A That’s right.
Q And you understand, at least, you are expecting that that case will also be reversed?
A Yes, sir.
Q Should you be convicted on that case, do you understand the plea bargain agreement is that this seven year sentence will run concurrently with any conviction that may occur from that, from CR77-1486?
A Yes, sir.”

As had been expected, case CR77-1486 was reversed on appeal. In October 1980 that case came before Judge Peters on remand. Not only had Judge Peters replaced Judge Mason, but in addition there was a new assistant prosecutor and a new defense counsel. These lawyers, newly in the case, negotiated for a plea bargain and the state offered to accept a sentence of 10 years to run consecutive to that which had been entered by Judge Levitt in 1979. Mr. Gep-ford, the defense counsel, reported this offer to Donahue, and Donahue testified at the 27.26 hearing that the following conversation then occurred:

“Lawrence Gepford called me by the phone in the Jackson County jail and told me that I was to be — that the deal was I could get a sentence run concurrent. I told him that wasn’t the bargain that I made when I pleaded guilty before you.
MR. LOCKE: You mean consecutive, Mr. Donahue?
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah, I mean consecutive. When he came to visit me in the county jail he said the bargain by the State was that I be given a sentence run consecutive. I told him, I said that wasn’t the deal; the deal that I made before Judge Levitt was that whatever I get that I will be sentenced to a concurrent sentence. So he said, ‘All right, I will go down there and talk to the prosecutor and the judge.’
[644]*644He came back and said that the State said that they wasn’t bound by no agreement that I made in another court, so at that time I was somewhat confused. I asked him what should I do. He said that, T can get you ten years or you go back to trial.’ He said, ‘My advice to you is that you take the ten years,’ and by him being my lawyer, when I went before Judge Peters I went according to the advice that I was given by my lawyer, not according to my own advice but the advice I was given by Lawrence Gepford and that is the only reason why.”

Thereafter Donahue was taken before Judge Peters and pleaded guilty pursuant to the new plea bargain. Gepford questioned Donahue extensively concerning Donahue’s understanding of the plea and the voluntariness thereof. One of those questions and answers went as follows:

“Q. And you understand that the plea bargain agreement is a sentence of ten years, consecutive to the seven years you received in another case?
A. Yes.”

After Gepford had completed his questioning, Judge Peters asked still additional questions, in part as follows:

“Q. Now, you understand that if the Court accepts your plea of guilty and follows the plea bargain agreement you will receive a sentence of ten years, which will be consecutive to the sentence of seven years imposed in another case? Do you understand that?
A. Yes.
Q. And has your plea been freely and voluntarily made?
A. Yes.”

At no time during these plea proceedings before Judge Peters did Donahue make any reference to his understanding of the agreement made in 1979 that the seven year sentence in case CR78-0331 should run concurrently with whatever sentence might be imposed after reversal and remand of case CR77-1486. Donahue made no complaint whatsoever at that time that the proposed entry of a consecutive sentence by Judge Peters would constitute a violation of the 1979 understanding.

In December 1980 Donahue filed the present 27.26 motion to set aside the conviction and sentence in CR78-0331. His contention contained in the motion filed in the circuit court was that the court had erred when it failed to keep the 1979 plea bargain. His counsel argued to Judge Levitt that under that bargain Donahue was entitled to a sentence in CR77-1486 of 10 years to run concurrently with the 7 year sentence in CR78-0331, so that he would have a total of only 10 years to serve. Judge Levitt overruled the 27.26 motion, holding that the ruling made in 1979 that the sentence in CR78-0331 was concurrent with that in CR77-1486 pertained only to the sentence entered in 1978 by Judge Mason; that after Judge Mason’s sentence was set aside on appeal the only sentence outstanding was that of 7 years entered by Judge Levitt; that Judge Peters therefore had a free hand to enter a judgment free of restriction by any prior judgment; that Donahue had entered into the 1980 plea bargain freely and voluntarily and was now estopped to pursue the present motion.

On this appeal, Donahue offers a single Point Relied On which differs from the ground of the motion and the supporting argument which was made in the trial court. While he still insists that he should have a total time to serve of only 10 years, the reason he now offers for that conclusion is as follows:

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Related

Glass v. State
957 S.W.2d 483 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1997)
Ferina v. State
742 S.W.2d 215 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1987)
Ossana v. State
699 S.W.2d 72 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
655 S.W.2d 642, 1983 Mo. App. LEXIS 4420, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/donahue-v-state-moctapp-1983.