Estes v. State

950 S.W.2d 539, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1153, 1997 WL 342849
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 24, 1997
Docket70706
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 950 S.W.2d 539 (Estes 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
Estes v. State, 950 S.W.2d 539, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1153, 1997 WL 342849 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

KAROHL, Judge.

Willie Estes (Estes) was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first degree murder and armed criminal action. He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of second degree murder and armed criminal action in return for a recommendation of two concurrent terms of life imprisonment. At the plea hearing, Estes testified he authorized counsel to withdraw his former pleas of not guilty and enter a guilty plea to the charge of second degree murder and armed criminal action. Estes testified that he: was pleading guilty because he was guilty; was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time he entered his guilty plea; and, made the decision of his own free will. Estes also testified he had sufficient time to discuss the case with his attorney. She did the things he asked her to do. He was satisfied with her service. He had nothing bad he wanted to say about her.

On July 14, 1995, the plea court sentenced Estes to concurrent life terms. Estes filed a timely pro se motion under Rule 24.035 on October 3, 1995. He prayed the judgment and sentences be set aside because his guilty pleas were not knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily made. He alleged: 1) the guilty pleas were involuntary because he was under *541 the influence of a drug during the plea and sentencing proceedings; and 2) plea counsel was ineffective on numerous grounds.

Estes alleged several specific points of ineffective counsel. First, she failed to file a motion under § 552.020 RSMo 1994 stating that Estes lacked the mental capacity to stand trial. Second, she failed to inform the court during his guilty plea proceeding that movant was on medication, and not moving to stay any further proceedings until he could think clearly and make voluntary decisions. Third, she failed to file and obtain a ruling on a motion to suppress statements. Fourth, she failed to fully investigate the facts surrounding his case and prepare for trial because she failed to discuss with him a possible self-defense justification. Fifth, she failed to inform him that he would be required to serve 85% of whatever prison term he received for the second degree murder charge. Finally, she failed to discuss with him, and therefore he did not understand, that he would receive two life sentences.

The only evidence offered in support of the motion was testimony from the movant. Estes did not offer trial counsel testimony or medical evidence concerning the prescriptive drug. The motion court found Estes’ “credibility as a witness to be nonexistent. His testimony was full of inconsistencies, and was refuted by the transcript of his plea and sentencing at every turn.” The court denied Estes’ motion, after finding he had failed to allege or prove facts, which if true, would have entitled him to relief. Estes appeals.

Estes’ first point of error is that the motion court erred in denying relief because his counsel failed to pursue his self-defense claim. He argues the motion court excluded his testimony which would have supported a finding of counsel’s failure on this defense. Thus, the finding he failed to prove counsel’s failures was the product of exclusions of his evidence.

Estes holds the burden of proof on his motion. Whaley v. State, 833 S.W.2d 441, 442 (Mo.App. S.D.1992), Rule 24.035(j). When examining a motion court’s ruling, “the findings of the motion court are presumptively correct.” Townsend v. State, 854 S.W.2d 496, 497 (Mo.App.E.D.1993). Therefore, the appellate court’s standard of review is whether the motion court’s “findings, conclusions, and judgment were clearly erroneous, and they may be so found only if a review of the entire record leaves [the appellate] court with a firm impression that a mistake had been made.” Moore v. State, 827 S.W.2d 213, 215 (Mo. banc 1992), Rule 24.035(j).

The Sixth Amendment guarantees a party the right to effective assistance of counsel. But after a “negotiated plea of guilty upon counsel’s advice, a claim of ineffective [assistance of] counsel is relevant only to the extent that it affects the voluntariness and understanding with which the guilty plea was made.” Gilliehan v. State, 865 S.W.2d 752 (Mo.App. E.D.1993). To show ineffective assistance of counsel, Estes must first prove that counsel failed to exercise the customary skill and diligence that a reasonably competent attorney would perform under similar circumstances, and that he was prejudiced by her ineffectiveness. Id. “Prejudice exists only where trial counsel’s acts or failure to act are outcome determinative.” State v. Harris, 870 S.W.2d 798, 814 (Mo. banc 1994). In other words, “but for counsel’s unprofessional conduct, there was a reasonable probability of a different result.” Moore 827 S.W.2d at 215. This burden of proof has been called a “heavy burden,” as not only must the movant alleging ineffective counsel prove his allegation by a preponderance of the evidence, but the movant must also overcome the basic presumption that his counsel was competent. Sanders v. State, 738 S.W.2d 856, 857 (Mo. banc 1987), Rule 24.035(i). In other words, “the benchmark for judging any claim of ineffectiveness must be whether counsel’s conduct so undermined the proper function of the adversarial process that the trial court cannot be relied on having produced a just result.” Sanders, 738 S.W.2d at 857-58.

There is no evidence to support a finding trial counsel did not consider, investigate, and address the possible self-defense justification with Estes. Estes offered no testimony outside his own to support his allegations, and his testimony was found incredible. We defer to the motion court’s *542 determination of credibility of a witness, as “the motion court is free to disbelieve testimony even when no contrary evidence is presented.” Betts v. State, 876 S.W.2d 802, 805 (Mo.App. W.D.1994). We do not determine witness credibility nor weigh evidence. State v. Harper, 884 S.W.2d 362, 364 (Mo. App. E.D.1994). Here, the motion court had the opportunity to observe the mental state and credibility of Estes at both the plea hearing and the motion hearing.

Generally, “a plea of guilty voluntarily and understandably made waives all non-jurisdictional defects and defenses.” Hagan v. State, 836 S.W.2d 459, 461 (Mo. banc 1992). In particular, “a guilty plea waives any future complaint a movant may have about plea counsel’s failure to investigate movant’s case.” Townsend 854 S.W.2d at 497. At the plea hearing, Estes testified as follows:

THE COURT: Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?

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Bluebook (online)
950 S.W.2d 539, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1153, 1997 WL 342849, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estes-v-state-moctapp-1997.