Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Aug 10, 2018
ROBERT H. STEELE, Movant-Appellant, v. STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent-Respondent.
Robert Steele appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 amended motion for post-conviction relief. The motion court had found that Steele's retained counsel abandoned him and granted an extension, leading to a second retained counsel filing an amended motion. The appellate court dismissed the appeal, holding that the abandonment doctrine does not apply to retained counsel, making the amended motion untimely. Furthermore, the motion court's order was not a final judgment because it failed to adjudicate all claims from Steele's last timely filed pro se motion.