Kerch v. State

GRANT, Justice.

In June 1999, Appellant Phillip Nathan Kerch pled guilty in Pierce County Superior Court to the malice murder, burglary, and armed robbery of his grandfather. He was sentenced to life in prison for the malice murder, and concurrent ten-year terms for each of the burglary and armed robbery counts. In April 2016, Kerch filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea, contending that his plea counsel had rendered ineffective assistance in various respects. The trial court dismissed the motion on the ground that the motion was untimely and thus the court lacked jurisdiction to…