Williams v. State

NIMMONS, Judge.

The defendant appeals from his conviction and sentence, he having entered a plea of nolo contendere to the offense of manslaughter. He claims that the trial court erred in denying the defendant’s motion to withdraw his nolo plea after defense counsel learned that the trial court was going to impose a ten-year sentence instead of a five-year term as contemplated under the negotiated plea. We agree and reverse.

The trial judge apparently thought that it was clear from the proceedings conducted at the time of the entry of the nolo plea that the only understanding was that the court…