Opinion ID: 1501117
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 26

Heading: Information About Brown's Conviction for the Murder of Janet Perkins

Text: Brown alleges that his trial counsel was ineffective because, during voir dire, she informed venirepersons that he had been convicted and sentenced to death for the death of Janet Perkins. Brown argues that the disclosure was not a part of any reasonable trial strategy but operated to convince the jury that he was guilty of the present crime and would have been reversible error had this evidence been adduced by the State. Brown further alleges that the prejudicial effects of trial counsel's disclosure could not be overcome when it was coupled with the cumulative errors that occurred throughout the trial. The motion court found that this was a matter of trial strategy. Defense counsel disclosed Brown's other murder conviction to make sure that the venirepersons would not automatically impose the death penalty when they found out about it. Also, at the postconviction hearing, Brown's counsel testified that she disclosed the murder conviction, because her strategy in the guilt phase of Brown's trial involved the use of his confession to the murder of Janet Perkins to try to explain and discredit Brown's confession to the murder of Synetta Ford. She informed Brown of her strategy and he did not object. It is not ineffective assistance of counsel to make a reasonable trial strategy decision. Sams v. State, 980 S.W.2d 294, 296 (Mo. banc 1998). The motion court did not err in finding that Brown's counsel was not ineffective.