Seibert v. State
Seibert v. State
Opinion of the Court
The defendant Seibert appeals from a denial of a Rule 27.26 motion entered after appointment of counsel and presentation of evidence. The defendant pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree on September 14, 1964, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. In year 1967 the defendant brought a Rule 27.26 motion which was overruled because the defendant had escaped from custody.
The motion as finally amended asserted grounds of an insufficient indictment, the entry of the plea under duress, the denial of a speedy trial, and the inadequate performance of counsel in particulars. The contentions of duress, denial of a
The pleaded contention was that an indictment which fails to employ the terms murder and kill does not sufficiently inform the accused that the prosecution charges murder. The assertion has no merit. The formal indictment, in the terminology then apt, alleged [together with the requisite state of mind, and so on] that Seibert made an assault upon Stefani [the decedent] with a pistol “loaded with gunpowder and leaden balls, there inflicting upon Stefani a mortal wound” from which Stefani died within the year. It was in the form and content approved as a charge of murder in State v. Downs, 593 S.W.2d 535, 539 (Mo. 1980). The merit of contention aside, the requirement of Rule 27.26(i) that the court enter “findings of fact and conclusions of law on all issues presented” is peremptory. Fields v. State, 572 S.W.2d 477, 483[2, 3] (Mo. banc 1978). We determine, however, that the indictment was not an issue presented to the court for adjudication within the sense of Rule 27.26(i), but was abandoned, and so not subject to the prescription of the rule.
The allegation of insufficient indictment was never presented to the court for adjudication other than by the pleaded recital. There was no argument or assertion of valid authority on the hearing, so the contention is not for review. Hemphill v. State, 566 S.W.2d 200, 204[6, 7] (Mo. banc 1978).
The judgment is affirmed.
All concur.
. The propriety of the successive motion was not made an issue. See, Rule 27.26(d).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.