Elder v. State

Charles Wesley Elder pled guilty and was convicted of the capital murder-robbery of Mark Cozadd. Sentence was life imprisonment without parole.

I

Elder argues that the trial court did not follow the proper procedure in accepting his guilty plea because the jury was selected by the agreement of both the prosecution and the defense.

Before the jury selection began, the trial judge determined that Elder was knowingly and voluntarily pleading guilty underBoykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969). In particular, the judge determined that Elder knew that if he pled guilty…