Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Jan 12, 2021
Sebastian Dowell vs. State of Missouri
Sebastian Dowell appealed the denial of his Rule 24.035 motion for post-conviction relief, claiming his plea counsel was constitutionally ineffective for retaining an expert who failed to perform an adequate psychological examination, which allegedly led to a higher sentence. Dowell had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The appellate court affirmed the motion court's judgment, finding that Dowell failed to establish either deficient performance by counsel or prejudice under the Strickland test.