Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jan 14, 2020
ROBERT L. CAMPBELL, Movant-Appellant v. STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent-Respondent
Robert L. Campbell appealed the denial of his Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief, arguing his trial counsel was ineffective for requesting and submitting lesser-included offense instructions for second-degree murder. Campbell, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, claimed this strategy was not informed and prejudiced him. The appellate court affirmed the motion court's denial, concluding that trial counsel's decision to offer lesser-included instructions was a reasonable trial strategy to avoid a first-degree murder conviction, which carried a mandatory life sentence without parole.