Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jan 31, 2023
Dwight Moore, Appellant, vs. State of Missouri, Respondent.
Dwight Moore appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief, following his convictions for resisting a lawful stop and first-degree child endangerment. Moore claimed trial counsel was ineffective for failing to include definitions of "knowingly" and "acted with criminal negligence" in jury instructions, and that the motion court erred by not issuing findings on one of these claims. The appellate court affirmed the motion court's denial, finding no clear error and concluding that Moore failed to demonstrate prejudice from counsel's strategic decisions regarding jury instructions, and that a remand for findings was unnecessary.