Ronald L. Smith Missouri Cases

Ronald L. Smith appealed the denial of his Rule 24.035 motion for post-conviction relief, following his guilty plea to knowingly burning a truck he jointly owned with his estranged wife. Smith argued his plea was unknowing and involuntary, and his counsel ineffective, because he believed he could not be convicted of burning his own property. The Eastern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the motion court's judgment, holding that a person can be convicted of knowingly burning "property of another" even if they also have an ownership interest, provided another person has a possessory or proprietary interest.