Mercer v. State

After a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of second-degree statutory rape and the class D felony of incest. Appellant’s convictions and sentences were affirmed. Appellant later filed a pro se motion for postconviction DNA testing pursuant to Mo. Rev. Stat. 547.035. The circuit court overruled and denied Appellant’s motion. Appellant was not notified of any proceedings in his case and requested additional information. The circuit court failed to provide the requested information. On appeal, the court of appeals, sua sponte, determined that it did not have jurisdiction to consider the appeal because the circuit court’s docket entry was not denominated a judgment. The Supreme Court granted transfer and reversed and remanded, holding that there could be no meaningful appellate review due to the circuit court’s failure to issue findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Mo. Rev. Stat. 547.035.8. View "Mercer v. State" on Justia Law