Opinion ID: 2624877
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Did the District Court Err in Failing to Establish a Factual Basis for Guilty Plea [15]

Text: [¶ 32] We set out Anderson's version of the circumstances of the crime to which she pleaded guilty above. The factual basis for accepting a guilty plea may be inferred from circumstances surrounding the crime and need not be established only from the defendant's statement. Rude v. State, 851 P.2d 15, 17-18 (Wyo.1993); also see Barnes v. State, 951 P.2d 386, 388-89 (Wyo. 1998). In this case, the only evidence presented was Anderson's admissions. However, the district court properly could infer from Anderson's recitation of the facts that she committed the aggravated assault and battery, even though Anderson qualified her admission with an excuse as to why she was justified in doing so. Thus, Anderson admitted the gravamen of the event, though it was coupled with what could be viewed as a defense that a jury might have treated as a basis for finding her not guilty. The mere fact that a bona fide defense might exist does not vitiate the entry of the guilty plea. Johnston v. State, 829 P.2d 1179, 1182 (Wyo. 1992). We hold there was a sufficient factual basis for the crime so that the district court did not err in accepting her guilty plea.