Moore v. State

543 S.W.2d 800, 1976 Mo. App. LEXIS 2834
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 1, 1976
DocketNo. 28294
StatusPublished

This text of 543 S.W.2d 800 (Moore 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
Moore v. State, 543 S.W.2d 800, 1976 Mo. App. LEXIS 2834 (Mo. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

SWOFFORD, Judge.

This is an appeal from an order denying appellant’s motion under Rule 27.26, Missouri Rules of Criminal Procedure, wherein he sought to set aside a judgment and sentence of 7 years, entered on his guilty plea to a charge of Robbery First Degree. The appellant and two others were separately charged by indictments with the armed robbery of the Sunshine Market at 39th and Woodland on October 12, 1974.

Oh January 14, 1975, the appellant appeared before the Honorable Alvin C. Randall in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri and entered his plea of guilty. An extensive hearing was conducted, at which appellant was represented by able counsel; his plea was accepted, and a pre-sentence investigation ordered; and, on March 3, 1975, the appellant was sentenced to a term of 7 years in the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections.

On June 12, 1975, the appellant filed his pro se Motion to Vacate Sentence and Withdraw Guilty Plea, and the matter was reassigned to the Honorable Paul E. Varde-man of the Jackson County Circuit Court for disposition. That court, without further evidentiary hearing or appearance of appellant, did on September 12, 1975, overrule said motion, and this appeal followed. The court below filed a memorandum opinion, findings of fact and conclusions of law, in which it was found that no evidentiary hearing was required because the records, files and transcript of the hearing in the guilty plea proceedings were sufficient to dispose of the appellant’s motion to vacate under Rule 27.26. It was further found that the transcript demonstrated full compliance with the requirements of Rule 25.04, concerning necessary procedures upon pleas of guilty.

Some preliminary facts appearing in the record on this appeal deserve mention. On this appeal, the appellant is represented by the office of the Public Defender for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, through the able services of Mr. Lee M. Nation, Assistant Public Defender. The appellant filed his pro se brief herein on November 3, 1975, together with his request for a “summary judgment”. The brief was accepted for filing, but the motion for summary judgment was denied. On April 2, 1976, Mr. Nation filed an appellant’s brief and on April 9,1976, he asked leave to withdraw as counsel for appellant because of irreconcilable conflicts existing between him and the appellant, in great part due to the fact that appellant had instituted an action for both actual and punitive damages in the amount of $15,000.00 against Mr. Nation in the United States District Court, Western District of Missouri, based upon alleged violation of his civil rights.

On April 13, 1976, appellant filed his pro se notice of intention to abandon the two assignments of error or points relied on contained in the brief filed by his counsel. On April 16, 1976, this court denied the request of counsel to withdraw and overruled appellant’s motion to abandon points on appeal.

Thereafter, the appellant’s pro se motions to amend his pro se brief and to advance case upon this court’s docket were sustained. The case was orally argued and submitted on September 22,1976, the appellant’s argument being presented by Mr. Nation. It should be noted that Mr. Nation throughout these proceedings has conducted [802]*802himself with commendable patience, great ability, and in the best traditions of the bar.

The grounds stated in appellant’s motion for relief under Rule 27.26 may be summarized as follows:

1) He was placed under the “impression” by his trial attorney, Mr. Bruce Simon, that in exchange for his plea of guilty, he “would be” promised that he would be placed on “pre-sentence investigation status”; permitted to make a personal recognizance bond; and, receive a five-year sentence with recommendation for probation (he was in fact given a pre-sentence investigation and permitted to make personal bond); 2) that he depended upon the advice of his trial counsel, and after consultation with his family, accepted the “deal”; 3) that during the pre-sentence investigation period, he was subpoenaed by the defense in the case of State v. Brown, Mo.App., 543 S.W.2d 799 (a companion case) and was told by his trial attorney to respond to the subpoena and testify, but later before he took the witness stand, his attorney told him “with the advice of the prosecuting attorney” that if he helped Brown, the “deal was off”. He did testify and told the truth; 4) that after he was sentenced to 7 years, his attorney told him Judge Randall would reduce the sentence to 5 years after another alleged codefendant was tried, convicted and sentenced; and, 5) that his guilty plea was the result of misleading and unkept promises of the prosecuting attorney and appellant’s trial counsel.

Under the above-related circumstances, this court has carefully considered all briefs filed pro se and by counsel on behalf of the appellant. The points therein raised may be summarized as charges of error on the part of the court below in denying the motion to withdraw the guilty plea and vacate judgment and sentence without an evidentiary hearing and in the absence of appellant, and failing to appoint counsel for him in connection with that procedure.

Rarely has a more detailed and careful transcript of a guilty plea proceeding been filed in this court. At that proceeding held on January 14, 1975, the appellant was represented by counsel and in response to interrogation by both court and counsel, he testified under oath as follows: He fully understood that he was entitled to a trial by jury as to his guilt or innocence and to be represented at such trial by counsel whether or not he could afford to pay him, and his counsel was present and ready and willing to try the case; that at such a trial the state had the burden of proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; that he would have the right to confront and to examine and cross-examine all witnesses; that he would have the right to testify or not to testify in his own defense and to offer whatever additional evidence he might desire, and compel the attendance of witnesses by court process; that a jury would acquit him unless it found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt; that if found guilty, he would have the right to appeal; and, that by entering a plea of guilty, he was waiving all of these rights, including the right against self-incrimination.

He was satisfied with the representation which had been given to him by counsel and had no complaints in that regard.

He understood that the penalty range for Robbery First Degree was five years to life imprisonment; that the assessment of the penalty, if his guilty plea was accepted, was solely within the discretion of the court to determine the sentence; and, that the court was not bound by recommendations by defense or state counsel as to the sentence or any which the State Board of Probation or Parole might make in its pre-sentence report.

He had been educated through the 9th grade; he could read, write and understand the English language, and had no communication difficulties; he was under no influence from drugs, narcotics or medication, was under no psychiatric treatment nor had he ever been; and, he was in good physical and mental health.

He had discussed the matter of his guilty plea with his counsel and his family.

He admitted that on October 12, 1974, he had committed an armed robbery against Max Levine (Sunshine Market), had taken [803]

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Related

Colbert v. State
486 S.W.2d 219 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1972)
Hogshooter v. State
514 S.W.2d 109 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1974)
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492 S.W.2d 770 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1973)
Winston v. State
533 S.W.2d 709 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1976)
Smith v. State
513 S.W.2d 407 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1974)
Colbert v. State
496 S.W.2d 12 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1973)
Weaver v. State
520 S.W.2d 640 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1975)
State v. Brown
543 S.W.2d 799 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
543 S.W.2d 800, 1976 Mo. App. LEXIS 2834, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-state-moctapp-1976.