State v. May
State v. May
Opinion of the Court
¶1 Edith May appeals from a judgment of conviction and an order denying her postconviction motion. She contends that she is entitled to withdraw her guilty pleas. We disagree and affirm.
¶2 May was convicted following guilty pleas to burglary, armed robbery, and attempted armed robbery, all as a repeater. The charges stemmed from a series of crimes that May committed in Kenosha over the course of several months. The circuit court sentenced her to a total of six years of initial confinement and five years of extended supervision.
¶3 May subsequently filed a postconviction motion seeking to withdraw her guilty pleas. In it, she accused her trial counsel of ineffective assistance for erroneously advising her that there was no basis for filing a suppression motion. She also faulted the circuit court for failing to inform her that by pleading guilty, she was giving up the right to raise a suppression issue. After a hearing on the matter, the circuit court denied the motion. This appeal follows.
¶4 On appeal, May renews her claim that she is entitled to withdraw her guilty pleas. A defendant who seeks to withdraw a plea after sentencing must prove by clear and convincing evidence that withdrawal is necessary to avoid a manifest injustice. See State v. Taylor ,
¶5 There are two methods by which courts typically review motions to withdraw a plea after sentencing. One method, based on State v. Bentley ,
¶6 We begin our analysis with May's Bentley claim that her trial counsel was ineffective. Again, May accuses her counsel of ineffective assistance for erroneously advising her that there was no basis for filing a suppression motion. According to May, there was such a basis because police exceeded the scope of a warrant in the search of her residence, which resulted in the discovery of cocaine and her arrest for possession of cocaine.
¶7 To prevail on an ineffective assistance claim, a defendant must show that counsel's performance was both deficient and prejudicial. Strickland v. Washington ,
¶8 Our review of an ineffective assistance claim presents a mixed question of fact and law. State v. Erickson ,
¶9 The State had substantial evidence supporting the crimes to which May pled guilty. This included security footage implicating May in both the burglary and armed robbery. It also included footprints of the perpetrator of the attempted armed robbery leading to May's residence. In addition, May confessed to all three crimes following her lawful arrest.
¶10 We turn next to May's Bangert claim, which involves an alleged defect in the plea colloquy. May complains that the circuit court failed to inform her that by pleading guilty, she was giving up the right to raise a suppression issue.
¶11 To help ensure that a defendant's plea is knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, the circuit court must perform certain statutory and court-mandated duties on the record during the plea hearing. Taylor ,
¶12 A defendant moving for plea withdrawal pursuant to Bangert must both (1) make a prima facie showing that the plea colloquy was defective because the circuit court failed to fulfill its duties and (2) allege that the defendant did not know or understand the information that should have been provided at the plea hearing. Taylor ,
¶13 We are not convinced that May has established a defect in the plea colloquy in this case. Neither statute nor case law requires a circuit court to inform a defendant that by pleading guilty, the defendant is giving up the right to raise a suppression issue. Indeed, such information would be technically incorrect. Although a defendant generally forfeits all nonjurisdictional defects when pleading guilty, WIS. STAT. § 971.31(10) (2017-18)
¶14 For these reasons, we conclude that May has not met her burden of proving that plea withdrawal is necessary to avoid a manifest injustice. Accordingly, we affirm.
By the Court. -Judgment and order affirmed.
This opinion will not be published. See WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(1)(b)5.
Police obtained a warrant to search May's residence for evidence relating to the attempted armed robbery (i.e., shoes with a distinctive sole pattern, a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, a facemask, and a handgun). During the search, police discovered cocaine inside the disk drawer of a CD player.
May confessed to police after they arrested her for possession of cocaine and burglary. Although she challenges the validity of her possession arrest, she does not challenge the validity of her burglary arrest.
Wisconsin Stat. § 971.31(10) provides that "[a]n order denying a motion to suppress evidence ... may be reviewed upon appeal from a final judgment or order notwithstanding the fact that the judgment or order was entered upon a plea of guilty or no contest to the information or criminal complaint." All references to the Wisconsin Statutes are to the 2017-18 version.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.