Guyton v. State

766 So. 2d 33, 2000 Miss. App. LEXIS 293, 2000 WL 782046
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJune 20, 2000
DocketNo. 1999-CP-01292-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 766 So. 2d 33 (Guyton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guyton v. State, 766 So. 2d 33, 2000 Miss. App. LEXIS 293, 2000 WL 782046 (Mich. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

LEE, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Ricky Guyton pled guilty to capital rape. Thereafter, Guyton filed a motion for post-conviction relief requesting the court to vacate his conviction and sentence. The Circuit Court of Lee County entered an order denying Guyton’s motion for post-conviction relief. Guyton filed a timely pro se appeal and argues that the trial court erred when it denied his motion for post-conviction relief and asserts the following issues (1) whether Guyton’s plea of guilty was knowingly and voluntarily entered before the trial court, and (2) whether Guyton received ineffective assistance of counsel. Finding these issues to be without merit, we affirm the decision of the trial court.

FACTS

¶ 2. Guyton pled guilty to capital rape of a female relative under the age of fourteen. Guyton was sentenced to thirty years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). Subsequently, Guyton filed a petition for post-conviction collateral relief in the Circuit Court of Lee County.

¶ 3. The petition filed by Guyton alleged that his conviction and sentence should be vacated for two reasons: (1) his guilty plea was not knowing and voluntary, and (2) he had ineffective assistance of counsel. Guy-ton stated numerous facts to support his arguments.

¶ 4. First, Guyton contended that his guilty plea was not knowing and voluntary because an investigator with the Department of Human Services (DHS) had threatened Guyton by declaring that DHS was going to remove the alleged victim from her mother’s care if he did not confess to the crime. Additionally, Guyton argues that he was coerced to plead guilty when his attorney informed him that if he did not accept the thirty years offered by the State there was another rape charge pending, and he might be sentenced to sixty years. Furthermore, Guyton claims that he was induced into pleading guilty because his attorney improperly informed him that if he entered a plea of guilty he would receive a thirty year sentence, and under the eighty-five percent rule he would receive parole in ten years. As aforementioned, Guyton also asserted numerous facts in an attempt to support his argument of ineffective assistance of counsel.

¶ 5. Guyton stated that his attorney was ineffective because he did not prepare a defense. Guyton contends that his attorney had only visited with him once which was on the day of the guilty plea hearing. Guyton also alleged that his attorney did not conduct discovery and could not even recite the facts of his case. Additionally, Guyton stated that if his attorney had obtained an order suppressing his statement to investigators he would not have pled guilty. Furthermore, Guyton claims that he informed his attorney that the victim and her mother would exonerate him, and his counsel took no action to bring this information forward. Guyton claims that because of all the previously mentioned reasons, he is entitled to have his conviction and sentence vacated and be [36]*36granted a jury trial. Any additional facts will be discussed as necessary to resolve the issues presented on appeal by Guyton.

DISCUSSION

I. WHETHER GUYTON’S PLEA OF GUILTY WAS KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY ENTERED BEFORE THE TRIAL COURT.

¶ 6. As previously discussed, Guy-ton has asserted that his plea of guilty was involuntary because of alleged inaccurate information regarding sentencing from his attorney and coercion from the Mississippi Department of Human Services since the department informed him that the rape victim would be removed from her home if he did not plead guilty. Additionally, Guy-ton argues that he was coerced to plead guilty when his attorney informed him that if he did not accept the thirty years offered by the State there was another rape charge pending, and he might be sentenced to sixty years. However, Guyton primarily relies on his contention that his attorney informed him that he would receive a thirty year sentence and incorrectly informed him that under the eighty-five percent rule he would receive parole in ten years. Guyton asserts that if he had known at the time of his guilty plea that he would not receive parole in ten years, he would not have pled guilty.

¶ 7. If the defendant is advised regarding the nature of the charge against him and the consequences of the entry of the plea, it is considered “voluntary and intelligent.” Alexander v. State, 605 So.2d 1170, 1172 (Miss.1992); see also Wilson v. State, 577 So.2d 394, 396-97 (Miss.1991). In other words, the defendant must be instructed that a guilty plea waives his rights to a jury trial, to confront adverse witnesses, and protection against self-incrimination. Alexander, 605 So.2d at 1172. Additionally, the Mississippi Supreme Court in Roland v. State, 666 So.2d 747, 751 (Miss.1995), relied on the holding in Alexander v. State, 605 So.2d 1170, 1172 (Miss.1992), for the premise that an evi-dentiary hearing regarding voluntariness to a guilty plea becomes necessary if the plea hearing fails to show that the petitioner was advised of the rights of which he allegedly asserts ignorance. A review of the record reveals that Guyton was informed of all of the aforementioned rights.

¶ 8. The question of whether a plea was voluntarily and knowingly made is a question of fact. Guyton bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he is entitled to relief. McClendon v. State, 539 So.2d 1375, 1377 (Miss.1989). It is important to remember that the remedy which is being sought is to set aside a final judgment which has been entered upon a plea of guilty given under oath in open court, following the thorough efforts of a trial judge to ensure that such plea is knowing and voluntary.

¶ 9. The record discloses that the trial judge sufficiently questioned Guyton as to his understanding of the effect of his guilty plea relative to his rights and possible sentence prior to accepting his plea. Guy-ton was not only informed of the crime he was being charged with at the guilty plea hearing and the consequences and deprivation of his rights therefrom, the trial court further provided Guyton the opportunity to forego his guilty plea hearing and proceed to trial numerous times. The trial judge stated as follows:

THE COURT: Now, is there anything about this that should indicate to me that that’s not the case; that is, that you are not doing this freely and voluntarily or that you don’t understand what’s happening here?
ANSWER: No, sir.
THE COURT: I have been deluged with persons who pled guilty here and when they get to the penitentiary, they suddenly remember that something was wrong with what took place here. I want to get it straightened out before you go. Do you understand that?
ANSWER: Yes, sir.
[37]*37THE COURT: So, if there’s anything about this that you don’t understand, if anything has happened and you feel like you’re pressured or have to do this, I want you to tell me that.
ANSWER: No, sir.

¶ 10. The record also reveals that the district attorney, in the presence of Guy-ton, recommended as punishment for the crime of capital rape, a sentence of thirty years in the custody of MDOC, as well as retiring any further indictments returned by the grand jury for sexual acts against other individuals to the files.

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Bluebook (online)
766 So. 2d 33, 2000 Miss. App. LEXIS 293, 2000 WL 782046, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guyton-v-state-missctapp-2000.