GRUBBS, RICKY LEE
General InformationDOB: December 26, 1958
Race: White
Gender: Male
Crime and Trial
County of conviction: St. Francois
Number of counts: One
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Male
Date of crime: February 15, 1984
Date of sentencing: May 1, 1986
Date of execution: December 21, 1992
Legal status:
Trial Counsel:
Kevin Curran
Last counsel of record:
Sean D. O'Brien
Public Interest Litigation Clinic
305 E. 63rd St.
Kansas City, MO 64113
816-363-2795
Last judicial decision:
--Denial of habeas affirmed by Grubbs v. Delo, 948 F.2d 1459 (8th Cir. 1991).
Reported opinions:
--Conviction and sentence affirmed on direct appeal by State v. Grubbs, 724 S.W.2d 494 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 482 U.S. 931 (1987).
--Denial of post-conviction relief affirmed by Grubbs v. State, 760 S.W.2d 115 (Mo. banc 1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1085 (1989).
--Habeas corpus denied by Grubbs v. Delo, 734 F. Supp. 395 (E.D. Mo. 1990), aff'd, 948 F.2d 1459 (8th Cir. 1991), reh'g denied, 977 F.2d 463 (8th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 835 (1992).
Significant legal issues:
--Trial counsel's failure to investigate and present a defense of diminished capacity in light of Mr. Grubbs' severe emotional disturbance at the time of the offense and low IQ
--Trial counsel's skeletal mitigation case and failure to present evidence of Mr. Grubbs' deprived upbringing, and history of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse by both parents
--Sufficiency of evidence of aggravating circumstance that the murder was committed for pecuniary gain, where the only evidence of such was testimony that Mr. Grubbs' brother stole some $30 in cash in food stamps from the victim's trailer, as well as the aggravating circumstance that the murder itself was committed for the purpose of evading arrest
--Effectiveness of counsel for failing to object to a penalty phase instruction's requirement that mitigating circumstances be found unanimously by jurors in order to be given effect in the weighing determination