Opinion ID: 1662837
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: effectiveness of legal counsel

Text: In the following respects the effectiveness of the assistance of movant's lawyers is challenged: (1) Their failure to inquire into the treatment of movant in the county jail and the effect such treatment had on his plea of guilty. We find no fault with counsel in this respect. Movant made no complaint to his attorneys about his treatment in jail. This fact was verified by the attorneys and admitted by movant. The attorneys did not observe any marks or bruises or injuries on any occasion when they interviewed movant. The attorneys were not made aware of the claim that the sheriff had threatened movant. Counsel may not be convicted of dereliction of duty in connection with circumstances not brought to their attention, in the absence of an independent duty to investigate. (2) Failure to effectively inquire into the admissibility of the confession, under a claim of illegal search of an automobile and interrogation without adequate warnings. No such failure has been shown. The record intimates that one of movant's lawyers talked to the three detectives who took the confession, and clearly shows that the lawyers asked movant if the confession was true; that he said that it was true and that he had given it voluntarily, knowing that it would be used against him; that he was so warned before giving it. At this hearing movant conceded that the statements in the confession were true and that he gave the confession voluntarily, without coercion or inducement. The lawyers considered the question, inquired into the facts, and concluded that the confession was admissible in evidence. There is nothing to show that they did not make a good faith evaluation of the admissibility of the confession, or that the advice given was not within the range of competence demanded of attorneys in criminal cases. McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 770-771, 90 S.Ct. 1441, 1448-1449, 25 L.Ed.2d 763, 773; State v. Grimm, Mo.Sup., 461 S.W.2d 746. (3) Failure to move to vacate the judgment and sentence, if they believed that the sentence was unjust or not fair. The sentence was well within the limits of punishment for first degree robbery. Movant did not complain of the severity of the sentence, and did not request his lawyers to try to get the sentence vacated. There was in fact no ground for vacation of the judgment and sentence. One of the lawyers, Mr. Beezley, who did not consider the sentence too severe for the crime involved but did consider it too stiff in view of the fact that movant's confederate, following a jury trial, was sentenced to only 5 years' imprisonment, did orally plead with the court, suggesting a lighter sentence. He pointed out facts indicating that the confederate was more seriously implicated in the crime than movant and argued that the rule of uniformity of verdicts in the civil law should apply in criminal cases, and that movant should get the same sentence the confederate received. In spite of Mr. Beezley's plea the court remained unmoved. (4) No effective inquiry at the hearings. It is the duty of the court, not counsel, to conduct the hearings, and counsel may not be impeached for any failure on the part of the court to conduct a sufficient inquiry into the facts at the time the plea is entered or the sentence is passed. Appointed counsel, tried, have not been found wanting. The court's finding that movant received effective assistance of counsel during all stages of the proceedings is strongly supported by the evidence of record, is not clearly erroneous, and is clearly justified. Movant makes the point that the record made at the time the plea of guilty was entered does not demonstrate that the court inquired into the question whether the plea of guilty was voluntary and made with intelligent understanding of the courses open to him; that the record is silent on such matters. He relies upon Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274, and Criminal Rule 25.04, V.A. M.R. Movant's plea having antedated Boykin and Boykin not being applied retroactively, State v. Grimm, Mo.Sup., 461 S.W. 2d 746, and cases cited 1.c. 752 [1], we consider whether the plea of guilty must be set aside solely on the ground that the admittedly sparse record fails to demonstrate a substantial compliance with Criminal Rule 25.04. Grimm rules this same point adversely to this contention, citing and quoting from State v. Mountjoy, Mo.Sup., 420 S.W. 2d 316, 323 [4-8], to the effect that notwithstanding the failure of the record to make the proper showing, if at the hearing on the 27.26 motion it is found that in fact the plea was not involuntarily made or was not made without an understanding of the nature of the charge, no manifest injustice could have resulted from accepting the plea. Under Grimm the trial court was authorized to determine the question of voluntariness and that of movant's understanding on the basis of the record at the time of the plea and of the evidence adduced at the hearing on the collateral attack. 461 S.W.2d, 1. c. 752 [2]. Finally, movant would have this judgment and sentence set aside because the trial judge overruled his several motions to order payment by the State of $275 demanded by the federal authorities to defray expenses of transporting movant's witness Rex Peck from the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas to Springfield, Missouri so that he could appear personally and testify as a key witness to the severity of the beatings, and the threats and treatment of movant in the jail. The record shows that the court upon application issued a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum for the body of Rex Peck directed to the warden of the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, and that the federal authorities were willing to surrender the prisoner for the purpose of coming to Missouri to testify, if the State would advance the expense money. Movant relies upon Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12, 76 S.Ct. 585, 100 L.Ed. 891, for the proposition that an indigent has the same rights as a nonindigent to post-conviction remedies, and Gardner v. California, 393 U.S. 367, 89 S.Ct. 580, 21 L.Ed. 2d 601, for the proposition that the due process clause and equal protection of the laws clauses require the preparation of a transcript on appeal at state expense, and argues by analogy that the payment of funds to provide movant with a fair hearing is required, including the right to the presence of eyewitnesses from outside the jurisdiction to testify to facts crucial to his cause. Movant cites no cases requiring the state to pay such expenses and we are aware of none. Nor does the record show that the failure to have the benefit of Peck's personal appearance prejudiced movant. Peck's story, graphically related in his written statement, was admitted in evidence and considered by the court. His testimony delivered personally would have been merely corroborative and cumulative. Since the court rejected movant's testimony and that of witness Ramsey, both of whom appeared personally, it is unlikely in the extreme that by hearing Peck testify in person the court's findings would have been any different. Judgment affirmed. WELBORN and HIGGINS, CC., concur.