Convicted murderer loses Mo. Supreme Court appeal

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A convicted murderer lost an appeal Thursday with the Missouri Supreme Court over claims of ineffective counsel and not being allowed to question jurors.

The Missouri Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision written by Judge Patricia Breckenridge, affirmed a lower court's dismissal of Richard Strong's claims. Judge Michael Wolff wrote the dissenting opinion.

Strong was convicted and sentenced to death for the Oct. 23, 2000, fatal stabbings of Eva Washington and her 2-year-old daughter, Zandrea Thomas, in St. Louis County. He appealed and the Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentences in 2004.

Strong later filed a motion for post-conviction relief, but a court considering those claims denied them, finding the record showed that Strong was represented by a "very zealous and well-prepared attorney," and had not been hurt by his representation. The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed.

The Supreme Court said the lower court did not err in denying Strong a chance to question jurors after trial in order to prove poor representation and juror misconduct. The Supreme Court said there was enough evidence to show Strong's attorney acted professionally and made sound decisions. And, Strong didn't show he was hurt by his attorney's failure to raise constitutional challenges, based on religion, to prosecutors removing two potential jurors.

Judge Wolff dissented on the latter point, saying he would send the case back for a retrial. He said a prospective juror was barred from serving on the jury because of his religious beliefs in violation of the Missouri Constitution.

The Supreme Court also rejected Strong's challenge of Missouri's lethal injection method, saying that because he had not exhausted his appeals, it was premature to consider the lethal injection question.

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Case is Richard Strong v. State of Missouri, SC88311.

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Judiciary: http://www.courts.mo.gov