Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Feb 16, 2021
Richard V. Cooper vs. State of Missouri
Richard V. Cooper appealed the denial of his Rule 24.035 motion for post-conviction relief after an evidentiary hearing. He alleged ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to address his mental incompetency and for misadvising him on sentencing, and that the motion court erred in disallowing a second amended motion and failing to apply the abandonment doctrine. The appellate court affirmed the motion court's judgment, finding no clear error in its denial of Cooper's claims.