Noble v. State

477 S.W.2d 417, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1190
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedMarch 13, 1972
DocketNo. 56290
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 477 S.W.2d 417 (Noble v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Noble v. State, 477 S.W.2d 417, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1190 (Mo. 1972).

Opinion

HIGGINS, Commissioner.

Appeal from denial, without evidentiary hearing, of motion under Criminal Rule 27.26, V.A.M.R., to vacate and set aside judgment of conviction of murder, first degree.

Jackie Lee Noble was indicted jointly with William R. Hoover, Paul Edward Kenton, James William Stidham, Rollie Laster, Don Wm. DeLapp, and Joseph M. Vidauri, and charged with first degree murder in the death of Walter Lee Donnell on September 22, 1954. All were inmates of the Missouri state penitentiary and Donnell’s death occurred during a prison riot on that date. Upon separate trial on March 29, 1955, Noble was convicted by a jury which assessed his punishment at life imprisonment. A timely motion for new trial was filed but, by an instrument of July 18, 1955, signed by Noble and his lawyers, the motion was withdrawn, right of appeal was waived, sentence was requested in accordance with the verdict, and the court so acted.

On February 4, 1964, Noble filed, pro se, an application for relief under Criminal Rule 27.26, RSMo 1959, the thrust of which was a contention that withdrawal of his motion for new trial and waiver of his right to appeal were the products of an arrangement or conspiracy among prosecuting attorney, prison authorities, and defense counsel to detain him in solitary confinement until he waived or surrendered his right of appeal.

A hearing was accorded on this contention, after which the circuit court denied relief; and the denial was affirmed by the [418]*418supreme court on review de novo. State v. Noble, Mo., 387 S.W.2d 522.

Next was an application to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri for writ of habeas corpus. That court found that Noble had been afforded a full and fair evidentiary hearing on the contention as presented to the state court and reviewed de novo by the supreme court at 387 S.W.2d 522. However, that court also found that in his federal habeas corpus proceeding Noble attempted “to raise a second question not heretofore properly presented to the Missouri courts”; i. e., “that ‘even if the alleged conspiracy did not exist, petitioner was pressured into abandoning his right to appeal by means which violate his constitutional rights,’ ” asserting that “ ‘it is possible that the State of Missouri in the operation of Missouri State Prison, has coerced petitioner into giving up his right to appeal.’ ” Noble v. Swenson, D.C.W.D.Mo., 285 F.Supp. 385, 387[4], Accordingly, the federal court ruled that “obviously, the courts of Missouri have never determined such a claim on the merits,” and held that such claim and all other new factual and legal claims concerning deprivation of petitioner’s rights should be exhausted in the state courts, and remanded the cause for that purpose.

Pursuant to that decision on June 17, 1968, Noble, on July 2, 1968, filed, pro se, the present motion, alleging as grounds for relief:

“(a) The Court erred in excluding all persons not believing in Capitol [sic] punishment from the jury.
“(b) The verdict in this case was the result of prejudice on the part of the jury by reason of the continuous publicity and highly prejudicial statements released to the news medina [sic] by State Officials.
“(c) Petitioners constitutional rights were violated by not being permitted to consult with counsel or friends during questioning.
“(d) The Court erred in not permitting petitioner to consult nor obtain counsel after a request had been made to the Court at arraignment.
“(e) The Court erred in admitting over the objection and exception of petitioner inadmissable [sic] hearsay testimony by State witnesses.
“(f) The Court erred in permitting the prosecuting attorney to display an assortment of weapons before the jury without intering [sic] said weapons into evidence as exhibits.
“(g) The Court erred in permitting the prosecuting attorney to comment on petitioners failure to testify.
“(h) The Court erred in admitting over the objection and exception of petitioner inadmissable [sic] hearsay testimony by State witnesses relating the contents of oral and written confessions preported [sic] to have been made by petitioners co-defendants.
“(i) The Court erred in admitting over the objection and exception of petitioner highly prejudicial circumstancial [sic] evidence.
“(j) The Court erred in permitting the jury to consider and convict petitioner of conspiracy when there was an absence of any evidence showing petitioner had any knowledge or connection with the crime charged until after it' was committed.
“(k) Petitioner was presured [sic] and coerced into abanding [sic] his right to appeal by means that violate his constitutional rights.
“(1) The Court erred in reading instructions 5 and 6 to the jury.
“(m) The indictment is defective and invalid for it failed to state definitely the essential facts constituing [sic] the offense charged. Sec. 545.040 R.S.1949; Fed. Rule 7(c).”

Counsel for movant was appointed July 10, 1968; the regular judge of the Cole [419]*419County Circuit Court disqualified himself September 11, 1969, and, on September 23, 1969, the Honorable George P. Adams was appointed special judge.

On March 25, 1970, the State moved to dismiss the motion for relief on the ground it failed to state a cause of action. On May 14, 1970, the motion to dismiss was argued, submitted, and taken under advisement. On July 17, 1970, movant filed for summary judgment denying the motion to dismiss on grounds of inordinate delay. On October 30, 1970, the court overruled Noble’s motion for summary judgment and denied his motion for relief under Rule 27.26 without hearing, with these findings of fact and conclusions of law:

“FINDINGS OF FACT
“1. On March 29, 1955, movant was found guilty of the offense of first degree murder by a jury in the Circuit Court of Cole County, Missouri, and his punishment was assessed at life imprisonment.
“2. On April 28, 1955, a motion for new trial was filed on movant’s behalf by his attorneys.
“3. On July 18, 1955, movant withdrew his motion for new trial, waived his right to appeal, and requested the court to enter judgment imposing sentence upon him in accordance with the verdict of the jury. Allocution was accorded and defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment in accordance with the verdict of the jury.
“4. On February 4, 1964, movant filed pro se ‘Writ of Habeas Corpus’ in the Circuit Court of Cole County, Missouri, which by mutual agreement of the parties was treated as a motion to vacate said judgment and sentence under Supreme Court Rule 27.26.
“5. On March 5, 1964, the Circuit Court of Cole County, Missouri entered its order denying movant relief under said rule without making findings of fact or conclusions of law.
“6.

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Related

Charles v. State
573 S.W.2d 139 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1978)
Noble v. State
552 S.W.2d 267 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1977)
McCrary v. State
529 S.W.2d 467 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1975)
Nickens v. State
506 S.W.2d 381 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
477 S.W.2d 417, 1972 Mo. LEXIS 1190, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/noble-v-state-mo-1972.