Opinion ID: 1987342
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Rejection of Post-Conviction Counsel

Text: Rule 29.16 gives indigent capital defendants the right to reject the appointment of post-conviction counsel and provides in part that: If movant seeks to reject the appointment of counsel, the court shall find on the record, after a hearing if necessary, whether the movant is able to competently decided whether to accept or reject the appointment and whether the movant rejected the offer with the understanding of its legal consequences (emphasis added). Williams argues that the motion court clearly erred in failing to hold an evidentiary hearing on his motion to reject post-conviction counsel and to proceed pro se because the court did not find on the record that he had competently decided to reject appointed counsel. Williams filed two motions to reject counsel in which he alleged that he had no confidence in his appointed Rule 29.15 counsel or that his counsel was pursuing all available Rule 29.15 claims. The court directed appointed counsel to respond. The motion court considered Williams' motion, as well as the response by appointed counsel, and overruled the motion. Rule 29.16, unlike Rule 29.15, does not expressly require detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law in ruling upon the motion. The motion court complied with Rule 29.16 by finding on the record that Williams' motion was without merit. In doing so, the court made an implicit determination that Williams was not competent to reject appointed counsel and did not understand the legal consequences of doing so. If a trial court does not make explicit findings, the appellate court presumes that the trial court made implicit findings in accordance with the result reached. Rule 73.01. The denial of the motion was made on the record as required by Rule 29.16, and the motion court did not clearly err in overruling this claim.