Criminal Law-Post-Conviction Relief-Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Staff Report//April 22, 2026//

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Defendant appealed the denial of his motion for post-conviction relief alleging that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request a self-defense instruction. Defendant further argued that the trial court erred in finding that he had not been abandoned by counsel because he played no role in the untimely finding of his amended motion.

Although the trial court erred in concluding that defendant was not abandoned by counsel as it did not find that defendant had a role in the late filing of his amended motion, such error was harmless where the trial court considered and rejected the merits of defendant’s pro se and counseled motions because the evidence at trial clearly showed that defendant was the aggressor.

Judgment is affirmed.

Joyner v. State (MLW No. 84639/Case No. ED113520 – 14 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Hess, J.) Appealed from circuit court, St. Louis County, Ribaudo, J. (Lisa M. Stroup for appellant) (Evan J. Buchheim for respondent)