Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Jul 23, 2024
Robert Lewis III, Appellant, vs. State of Missouri, Respondent.
Robert Lewis III appealed the motion court's judgment overruling his Rule 24.035 postconviction relief motion without an evidentiary hearing. Lewis claimed his plea counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate a material witness before his guilty plea to domestic assault charges. The motion court found Lewis's claim was refuted by the record. The appellate court affirmed, concluding that the proposed witness testimony would not have provided a viable defense and that the plea hearing colloquy was sufficiently specific to refute the ineffective assistance claim.