Supreme Court of Missouri / Jul 16, 2019
Ronald Johnson, Appellant, vs. State of Missouri, Respondent.
Ronald Johnson appealed the denial of his Rule 24.035 motion for postconviction relief. Johnson, who pleaded guilty to murder and robbery, argued his plea was involuntary due to ineffective assistance of counsel, specifically alleging coercion regarding the death penalty, his incompetence due to intellectual disability, and counsel's failure to challenge a competency evaluation. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the motion court's judgment, finding no clear error in its conclusions that Johnson was not coerced, was competent to plead guilty, and received effective assistance of counsel.