Lawrence G. Belk Missouri Cases

Lawrence Belk appealed the circuit court's judgment granting the Department of Corrections' motion for judgment on the pleadings. Belk argued the Department erred in recalculating his parole eligibility date, violating ex post facto laws, and that he had no liberty interest in his earlier parole date. The appellate court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, as modified, holding that the Department correctly applied statutory interpretations to recalculate Belk's parole eligibility and that no ex post facto violation occurred. The court also found Belk had no protected liberty interest in a miscalculated parole date and modified the judgment to reflect the Department's most recent recalculation of Belk's minimum parole eligibility to December 2073.