In re Robert J. Branson v. Michael Shewmaker, Warden, South Central Correctional Center

SUPREME COURT OF MISSOURI en banc IN RE ROBERT J. BRANSON, ) Opinion issued April 29, 2025 ) Petitioner, ) ) v. ) No. SC100870 ) MICHAEL SHEWMAKER, WARDEN, ) SOUTH CENTRAL CORRECTIONAL ) CENTER, ) ) Respondent. ) ORIGINAL PROCEEDING IN HABEAS CORPUS Robert J. Branson filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus alleging his life sentence is unlawful because there was an insufficient factual basis to support his guilty plea to the class A felony of first-degree child molestation. By pleading guilty, Branson waived all challenges to the factual basis of his plea except for a Rule 24.035 motion…