Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Jun 14, 2022
Christopher Sanders vs. State of Missouri
Christopher Sanders appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for postconviction relief, which alleged ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Sanders claimed his counsel failed to request specific self-defense instructions, including a "castle doctrine" instruction and one removing the duty to retreat, and a correct lesser-included offense instruction for involuntary manslaughter. The appellate court affirmed the motion court's judgment, finding no clear error in its conclusions that counsel's performance was not deficient or that Sanders suffered no prejudice.