Davis v. State

The opinion of the court was delivered by

O’Connor, J.:

In a bid for postconviction relief under K. S. A. 60-1507, petitioner Donald Eugene Davis has appealed from the order of the district court denying his motion after an evidentiary hearing.

Two grounds are urged as the basis for setting aside petitioner’s pleas of guilty to the offenses of murder in the first degree and attempted escape from the penitentiary by force or violence: his pleas were coerced and involuntary, and he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.

The offenses occurred in the state penitentiary June 20, 1954, when…