Thomas v. State

605 S.W.2d 792, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 438
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedSeptember 9, 1980
Docket61819
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 605 S.W.2d 792 (Thomas 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
Thomas v. State, 605 S.W.2d 792, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 438 (Mo. 1980).

Opinions

HIGGINS, Judge.

In 1969 Larry Darnell Thomas pleaded guilty to first degree murder, § 559.010, RSMo 1959, and assault with intent to kill with malice, § 559.180, RSMo 1959. He was sentenced to serve two concurrent life sentences without credit for pre-sentence jail time. He appealed from denial, without evidentiary hearing, of two motions for post conviction relief to challenge: 1) the standard by which a juvenile may be prosecuted under the general law; 2) voluntariness of his guilty pleas; 3) denial of credit for pre-sentence jail time; and 4) denial of his second post-conviction motion without appointment of counsel. The court of appeals affirmed and this Court transferred the appeal to review principally whether the trial court erred by denial of credit for pre-sen-tence jail time. Affirmed.

On April 30,1968, Larry Darnell Thomas, age 16, together with another, entered the home of Mr. McAndrew armed with a loaded pistol and announced an intention to rob Mr. McAndrew and his wife. The accomplice took a wallet from Mr. McAndrew, then proposed sexual relations with his wife. She refused and the accomplice shot and wounded her. When McAndrews re[794]*794monstrated, Thomas shot and killed him. The assailants took two wallets and left. Thomas was arrested the next day and taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in the City of St. Louis.

On June 25, 1968, after evidentiary hearing during which Larry Darnell Thomas was represented by counsel, the juvenile court found him not a proper subject to be dealt with under the Juvenile Code and dismissed the petition in his interest to permit him to be prosecuted under the general law.

On September 29, 1969, Thomas, then 18 years old, appeared with counsel in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis. The trial court determined the voluntariness of defendant’s decision to plead guilty, his guilty pleas were entered, and the sentences were imposed. He was in custody 516 days prior to sentencing.

On April 19, 1977, Thomas, pro se, filed a Motion to Vacate and Set Aside Judgment under Rule 27.26, to attack his guilty pleas and the juvenile court proceeding. The motion was denied without an evidentiary hearing. On August 21, 1977, he, again pro se, filed a Motion to Correct Sentence in an attempt to get his pre-sentence jail time credited. That motion was denied on the ground that the allegations concerning allowance of jail time could have been included in the prior Motion to Vacate. Appeals from the denials of the April and August, 1977, motions were consolidated.

Appellant argues that § 211.071, RSMo 1969, “is invalid and unconstitutional because it is void for vagueness in that it provides no standard as to whether the juvenile ‘is not a proper subject’ to be dealt with under the provisions of the juvenile code . . . .”

Section 211.071 provides in part:

In the discretion of the judge of the juvenile court, when any petition under this chapter alleges that a child of the age of fourteen years or older has committed an offense which would be a felony if committed by an adult, . the petition may be dismissed and such child or minor may be prosecuted under the general law, whenever the judge after receiving the report of the investigation required by this chapter and hearing evidence finds that such child or minor is not a proper subject to be dealt with under the provisions of this chapter.

State v. Williams, 473 S.W.2d 382 (Mo.1971), ruled and denied this same contention. Defendant contended that “§ 211.-071 is invalid because it provides no standards for determining that he is not a proper subject to be dealt with” under the Juvenile Code. In ruling the section constitutionally valid, the Court stated:

the directive in the Juvenile Code that the juvenile court may, in its discretion, authorize a “child” of the age of fourteen years or older to be prosecuted under the general law, when after hearing it is found that such action shall be conducive “to the child’s welfare and the best interest of the state,” affords adequate and sufficient standards to guide the court in carrying out the legislative directive and intent.

Id. at 384. Coney v. State, 491 S.W.2d 501 (Mo.1973) reached the same conclusion. Appellant’s further contention that he was entitled to an evidentiary hearing on this issue is refuted by the text of Rule 27.26 which provides for such hearing “if issues of fact are raised in the motion.” An attack on the constitutionality of a statute does not raise an issue of fact.

Appellant alleges the court erroneously denied him an evidentiary hearing on his allegation that his plea “was not knowing, intelligent and voluntary due to ineffective assistance of counsel . . .

To be entitled to an evidentiary hearing on the voluntariness of a guilty plea, defendant must plead facts which if true entitle him to relief and must show that such factual allegations are not refuted by facts elicited at the guilty plea hearing. Smith v. State, 513 S.W.2d 407 (Mo. banc 1974) cert. denied, 420 U.S. 911, 95 S.Ct. 832, 42 L.Ed.2d 841 (1975). If the record conclusively establishes that the accused knowingly and voluntarily pleaded [795]*795guilty, it is proper to deny an evidentiary hearing on a motion for post conviction relief based on an allegation that the guilty plea was coerced. Jackson v. State, 585 S.W.2d 495 (Mo. banc 1979).

The record of the plea and sentencing shows that the trial court explained to defendant the nature of the charge against him and possible penalties, that he had the right to a jury trial with counsel, and that he was waiving this right upon a plea of guilty. In addition, the court determined in open court after questioning defendant, his mother, and his father that the plea was voluntary and not the result of force or threats. Finally, the prosecutor recited what the state’s evidence would show, thus establishing the existence of a factual basis for the plea, and defendant agreed with that version of the facts. He also said that his attorney was representing him in a proper manner and doing everything for his interest in the matter.

The record thus establishes that defendant’s plea was voluntary within the meaning of Rule 25.04 (present Rule 24.02). Accordingly, the trial court correctly denied an evidentiary hearing on the question of voluntariness.

Appellant challenges the court’s denial of credit for the jail time served prior to his sentencing September 29, 1969. Section 546.615.1, RSMo 1969 provided in part:

When a person has been convicted of a criminal offense in this state

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Harris v. State
779 S.W.2d 700 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
Miller v. State
773 S.W.2d 182 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
Chatman v. State
766 S.W.2d 174 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
McAnulty v. State
766 S.W.2d 749 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
Deck v. State
754 S.W.2d 33 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Blanchette v. State
753 S.W.2d 322 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Brown v. State
755 S.W.2d 414 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Carrow v. State
755 S.W.2d 328 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Grannemann v. State
748 S.W.2d 415 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
Hurd v. State
735 S.W.2d 438 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1987)
Williams v. State
718 S.W.2d 542 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
Litton v. State
712 S.W.2d 55 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
Kline v. State
704 S.W.2d 721 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
Wade v. State
698 S.W.2d 621 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1985)
Chastain v. State
692 S.W.2d 4 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1985)
Davis v. State
680 S.W.2d 324 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
Smith v. State
674 S.W.2d 634 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
Watson v. State
665 S.W.2d 695 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
Cathy v. State
644 S.W.2d 392 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
Jarvis v. State
645 S.W.2d 141 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
605 S.W.2d 792, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 438, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-state-mo-1980.