Norwood v. State, 36195

• Decision Date: 16 September 1975
• Docket Number: No. 36195,36195
• Citation: Norwood v. State, 529 S.W.2d 465 (Mo. App. 1975)
• Parties: Willie NORWOOD, Movant-Appellant, v. STATE of Missouri, Respondent. . Louis District, Division One
• Court: Missouri Court of Appeals

Page 465

529 S.W.2d 465

Willie NORWOOD, Movant-Appellant, v.STATE of Missouri, Respondent.

No. 36195.

Missouri Court of Appeals, St. Louis District, Division One.

Sept. 16, 1975.

Motion for Rehearing or Transfer Denied Oct. 22, 1975.

Application to Transfer Denied Dec. 8, 1975.

Charles D. Kitchin, Public Defender, G. Jeffrey Lockett, Michael Guerra, Asst. Public Defenders, St. Louis, for movant-appellant.

John C. Danforth, Atty. Gen., Preston Dean, Robert M. Sommers, Asst. Attys.Gen., Jefferson City, Brendan Ryan, Circuit Atty., Richard Heidenry, Asst. Circuit Atty., St. Louis, for respondent.

DOWD, Judge.

Movant pleaded guilty to charges of first degree murder and forcible rape and received two concurrent life sentences.He appeals from the trial court's dismissal of his Rule 27.26 post-conviction relief petition without an evidentiary hearing.Rule 27.26(2).

On this appeal, movant raises two Points Relied On.Movant's first contention on appeal is that his guilty plea was coerced by the state's use of perjured testimony in a co-defendant's trial that resulted in the imposition of the death penalty on the co-defendant.SeeState v. McClain, 498 S.W.2d 798(Mo. banc 1973).This point was not raised by movant in his Rule 27.26 petition and thus is not before us for review.Shubert v. State, 518 S.W.2d 326(Mo.App.1975);Griffith v. State, 504 S.W.2d 324(Mo.App.1974).

Movant's second contention is that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because the latter failed to investigate and explore properly the mental competency of his client to enter the guilty pleas.In July, 1971, after he had been charged, movant underwent a mental examination at the Fulton State Hospital to mdetermine whether he had a mental disease or defect that prevented him from understanding the proceedings against him or assisting in his own defense.§ 552.020 RSMo 1969.The psychiatric report, which concluded that movant was mentally competent to stand trial, was signed by a staff physician who was a doctor of osteopathy.Movant contends his trial attorney should have questioned the validity of the psychiatric examination because it was not signed by a psychiatrist.

Section 552.020(2) requires that a person sent to a state facility of the division of mental diseases for a mental examination shall be examined 'by one or more physicians whom the superintendent shall designate.'The staff physician who signed movant's psychiatric report was a 'physician', because osteopaths are specifically defined as physicians under Missouri law.§ 334.021 RSMo 1969.

Movant relies on State v. Terry, 472 S.W.2d 426(Mo. banc 1971), vacated in part on other grounds, 408 U.S. 940, 92 S.Ct. 2876, 33 L.Ed.2d 763(1972).In that casedefendant questioned the validity of a psychiatric examination because it allegedly was conducted under § 552.020 not by a board-certified psychiatrist but by three doctors of osteopathy who were unqualified to make psychiatric examinations.The Missouri Supreme Court concluded that the evidence showed one of the participating doctors was a board-certified psychiatrist.The court added (at p. 429): 'We do not reach or rule the question of whether the statute requires an examination by a board-certified psychiatrist.'In the instant casemovant has presented no evidence whatsover that the examining physician was not qualified to conduct a psychiatrict examination.Mindful that the osteopath who signed the psychiatric report was a physician under Sections 552.020(2)and334.021, we find that the report was prepared by an authorized examiner under the statute.

Another factor relevant to this ineffective counsel charge is whether movant's trial counsel himself, despite the results of the mental examination, suspected that movant was incompetent.Miller v. State, 498 S.W.2d 79(Mo.App.1973).At the guilty plea hearing the court extensively explored movant's mental competency to enter his guilty pleas.The court first asked movant whether he felt he was suffering from any kind of mental disease or defect,...