Billy Taylor Rabun Missouri Cases

Billy Taylor Rabun appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief, asserting ineffective assistance of both trial and appellate counsel. He argued trial counsel failed to object to the prosecutor's questioning of an alibi witness and the admission of phone call recordings, and that appellate counsel failed to challenge the prosecutor's questioning regarding the alibi witness's relationship with trial counsel. The Eastern District affirmed the motion court's judgment, finding that trial counsel's actions were reasonable trial strategy or that objections would have been meritless, and that appellate counsel was not ineffective for failing to raise non-meritorious claims.