State v. Handy

MEYER, Justice.

After careful consideration of the record and briefs and hearing oral argument, we conclude that defendant should have been allowed to withdraw his plea of guilty in this capital case, that defendant’s sentence of death entered upon his guilty plea must be vacated, and that there must be a new disposition of the case upon the entry of a new plea. We set out only those facts necessary to an understanding of our decision.

During the course of investigation into the 3 November 1986 stabbing death of Eugene Michael Morgan, defendant told the investigating officer that Morgan had…