Zapata v. Commonwealth

OPINION OF THE COURT BY JUSTICE WRIGHT

Appellant, Steven Zapata, entered a plea under North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970), to one count of murder. In accordance with the plea agreement, the trial court sentenced Zapata to 24 years’ imprisonment. He appeals to this Court as a matter of right, Ky. Const. § 110(2)(b), and argues that the “trial court erred by resolving an involuntary plea issue without taking evidence and without appointing conflict-free counsel.”

I. BACKGROUND

A Jefferson County Grand Jury indicted Zapata on one count of murder for his…