Perez v. State

Defendant, Gilberto Perez, takes this belated appeal to review his conviction for rape based upon his guilty plea. The salient facts are as follows:

Defendant was indicted for rape and initially pled not guilty. Subsequently, through court appointed defense counsel, he announced he was withdrawing his previous plea and tendered a plea of guilty. He was questioned extensively by defense counsel, *385the prosecutor and the trial judge as to the voluntariness of his guilty plea. Defendant, who at the time was 19 and had completed two years of high school, responded that he was pleading guilty because…