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Criminal Law-Post-Conviction Relief-Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Staff Report//April 29, 2026//
Defendant appealed the denial of his motion for post-conviction relief, which alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request that the self-defense jury instruction include language regarding a “forcible felony.” Defendant argued that the lack of the language caused the jury to dismiss his self-defense claim because there was little evidence to suggest the victim’s conduct posed a risk of serious injury to defendant.
Where defendant’s argument was purely speculative, he failed to establish that he was prejudiced by counsel’s decisions.
Judgment is affirmed.
Bricker v. State (MLW No. 84668/Case No. ED113343 – 7 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Wright, J.) Appealed from circuit court, City of St. Louis, Boyer, J. (Gwenda R. Robinson for appellant) (Kristen S. Johnson for respondent)
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