State v. Sarette

The defendant appeals the denial of his motion to withdraw his plea of guilty to the charge of second degree murder, alleging he was “influenced” by psychotropic medication at the time he entered his plea. A hearing was held on the defendant’s motion on October 27, 1989, and on November 3, 1989, the Superior Court (Groff, J.) found that the medication “did not affect [the] defendant’s cognitive function ... [or] his judgment,” but actually “reduced distractions and enabled him to make a more reasoned decision.” Thus, the court found that the defendant failed to offer a “fair and just” reason…