Andre Adams v. State of Missouri

In the Missouri Court of Appea[s Eastem District DIVISION FOUR ANDRE ADAMS, ) ED]039S3 ) Appellant, ) Appeal from the Circuit Court ) of St. Louis County v. ) 1222-€€10323 ) STATE OF MISSOURI, ) Honorable Edward W. Sweeney ) Respondent. ) Filed: February 7, 2017 Introduction Andre Adarns (Movant) appeals the judgment of the motion court denying his motion for post-conviction relief under Rule 29.15l without an evidentiary hearing He argues both his trial counsel and his appellate counsel were ineffective for failing to contest two of his misdemeanor convictions, and that his trial counsel Was ineffective for failing to object to comments the prosecutor made during direct examination of a Witness. We affirm. Background Movant was convicted by a jury of four counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree involving a child less than 12 years of age and two counts of furnishing 1 All rule references are to Mo. R. Criin. P. (2013) unless otherwise indicated pornographic material to a ininoi'. The trial court sentenced him as a prior offender to concurrent terms of 30 years in prison for each count of statutory sodomy, and concurrent terms of l year for the counts of furnishing pornographic material to a minor, for a total sentence of 30 years. This Court affirmed his convictions and sentences on appeal w v. Adams, 377 S.W.3d 614 (Mo. App. E.D. 2012). Movant timely filed a pro se motion seeking to vacate his convictions and sentences under Rule 29. l 5. Latei', Movant’s appointed counsel requested a 30-day extension of time iri which to file an amended motion, and filed such motion on October 28, 2013, the date it would have been due with a 150-day extension The trial court denied l\/Iovant’s amended motion without an evidentiary hearing This appeal follows. Standard of Review Oui' review of the motion court’s denial of a motion for post-conviction relief is “limited to a determination of whether the findings of fact and conclusions of law are clearly erroiieous.” Hicl