Littleton v. State

372 S.W.3d 926, 2012 WL 3292443, 2012 Mo. App. LEXIS 985
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 14, 2012
DocketNo. ED 97012
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 372 S.W.3d 926 (Littleton 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
Littleton v. State, 372 S.W.3d 926, 2012 WL 3292443, 2012 Mo. App. LEXIS 985 (Mo. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

KURT S. ODENWALD, Judge.

Introduction

Dawoyn Littleton (“Littleton”) appeals from the motion court’s denial of his Rule 29.151 motion for post-conviction relief after he waived an evidentiary hearing. Lit-tleton was convicted after a jury trial on ten counts of first-degree robbery, one count of second-degree robbery, and seven counts of armed criminal action. We affirmed Littleton’s conviction on direct appeal in State v. Littleton, 243 S.W.3d 537 (MoApp. E.D.2008). Littleton subsequently filed, and the motion court denied, a motion for post-conviction relief alleging his defense counsel at trial was constitutionally ineffective for failing to object to witness testimony on the ground that it violated his rights under the Confrontation Clause. Because Littleton has failed to demonstrate that trial counsel’s performance failed to conform to the degree of skill, care, and diligence of a reasonably competent attorney, we affirm the judgment of the motion court denying Little-ton’s Rule 29.15 motion.

Factual and Procedural History

This case arises from eleven separate robberies which took place over the course of four months. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict at trial, the evidence is as follows.

On September 14, 2003, Littleton stopped a car driven by Jennifer Conway and Heather Overy. Littleton physically assaulted Overy and stole the vehicle. Conway and Overy later identified Little-ton as the perpetrator in photo lineups, a physical lineup, and in court. State charged Littleton with two counts of first-degree robbery (Counts 1 and 2).

On October 18, 2003, Littleton robbed Jessica Spears at gunpoint when Spears pulled her car to the side of the road after she experienced car trouble. Spears later identified Littleton in a physical lineup and in court. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 3 and 4).

On October 25, 2003, Littleton robbed Mildred Goodwin inside her garage. Goodwin identified Littleton in a photo lineup, physical lineup, and in court. State charged Littleton with second-degree robbery (Count 5).

On November 27, 2003, Littleton robbed Danielle Lawson at gunpoint after hitting her vehicle. Lawson identified Littleton in a physical lineup. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 6 and 7).

On December 4, 2003, Littleton robbed Francine Taylor after hitting her vehicle. Taylor identified Littleton in a photo lineup and a physical lineup. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 8 and 9).

On December 26, 2003, Littleton robbed Maria Wright at gunpoint after hitting her vehicle. Wright identified Littleton in a photo lineup, physical lineup, and in court. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery (Count 10).

On December 28, 2003, Littleton robbed Gioia Kaid at gunpoint after hitting her vehicle. Littleton also stole Kaid’s vehicle during the robbery. Kaid identified Lit-[929]*929tleton in a photo lineup and a physical lineup. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 11 and 12).

On January 12, 2004, Littleton robbed Doris West at gunpoint as she approached her home. West stated that a photo of Littleton fit the description of the individual who robbed her. West positively identified Littleton in a subsequent physical lineup. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 18 and 14).

On January 21, 2004, Littleton robbed Marcia Dodd after hitting her vehicle. Dodd identified Littleton in a photo lineup, physical lineup, and in court. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery (Count 15).

On January 22, 2004, Littleton robbed Norma Galbreath at gunpoint and stole her vehicle. Several days later, police officer Bobbie Garrett observed an individual driving Galbreath’s vehicle. Officer Garrett lost sight of the vehicle and could not identify the driver. Officer Garrett subsequently relocated and set up surveillance on the vehicle and observed Littleton walking near the vehicle. As he was watching Galbreath’s stolen vehicle, a woman approached Officer Garrett and informed him that Littleton had been driving the vehicle. Officer Garrett subsequently identified Littleton, through a photo, as the individual he had observed near Galbreath’s vehicle. Police officers retrieved Galbreath’s vehicle and found cigarette butts containing Littleton’s DNA inside the vehicle. Galbreath identified Littleton in a photo lineup, physical lineup, and in court. State charged Littleton with first-degree robbery and armed criminal action (Counts 16 and 17).

On January 22, 2004, the same day Lit-tleton robbed Galbreath, Littleton also robbed Kurema Williams. Williams identified Littleton in a photo lineup, physical lineup, and in court. State charged Little-ton with first-degree robbery (Count 18).

The State joined all the charges against Littleton and the case was tried' before a jury. State intended to present evidence that Littleton’s DNA was discovered on cigarette butts recovered by police from Galbreath’s stolen car. However, prior to trial, State’s technician who performed the DNA testing suffered a medical emergency and was unable to testify. In the technician’s place, State intended to offer the testimony of Mary Beth Karr (“Karr”), the technician’s supervisor.

Littleton challenged the admissibility of Karr’s testimony as improper hearsay in a motion in limine. Littleton did not object to Karr’s testimony on Sixth Amendment grounds. During a hearing on Littleton’s motion in limine, Karr testified that she reviewed the methods and conclusions of the technician and confirmed that they were correct. Karr testified that her own conclusion that the DNA evidence recovered from the car belonged to Littleton was independent of the technician’s conclusion of the same. Karr also testified that, although she did not perform the actual DNA testing, the only difference between what she did and what the technician did was that the technician added the chemicals to break open the cells.

The trial court denied Littleton’s motion in limine, stating that Karr’s knowledge of the DNA testing and analysis was sufficiently independent of the unavailable technician who drafted the report. During Karr’s testimony at trial, Littleton renewed his objection on hearsay grounds. The trial court overruled Littleton’s hearsay objection. Karr testified at trial that the DNA recovered in Galbreath’s vehicle belonged to Littleton. State did not admit into evidence the actual laboratory report [930]*930containing the DNA test findings, nor the technician’s analysis.

A jury found Littleton guilty on all counts and the trial court entered a judgment convicting Littleton accordingly. This Court affirmed Littleton’s conviction on direct appeal in State v. Littleton, 243 S.W.3d 587 (Mo.App. E.D.2008). Littleton subsequently filed a motion for post-conviction relief under Rule 29.15 alleging his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object on Confrontation Clause grounds to Karr’s testimony that Littleton’s DNA was found in a stolen vehicle. Littleton waived an evidentiary hearing for his motion.

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Bluebook (online)
372 S.W.3d 926, 2012 WL 3292443, 2012 Mo. App. LEXIS 985, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/littleton-v-state-moctapp-2012.