Clayton v. State

JOHN C. HOLSTEIN, Judge.

Cecil Clayton appeals the denial of his Rule 29.15 post-conviction relief motion by the circuit court of Jasper County. On appeal he raises four claims, all of which allege that the motion court should have found his trial counsel ineffective. Because the death penalty was imposed in Clayton’s original trial, this Court has exclusive appellate jurisdiction. Mo. Const. art. V, sec. 10; order of June 16, 1988. The judgment is affirmed.

FACTS AT TRIAL

The evidence that led to Clayton’s conviction of first degree murder was compelling, but largely circumstantial. On the…