STOKES, WINFORD
General Information
DOB: March 21, 1951
Race: African-American
Gender: Male
Crime and Trial
County of conviction: St. Louis
Number of counts: One
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Female
Date of crime: February 19-21, 1978
Date of sentencing: January 17, 1980
Date of execution: May 11, 1990
Legal status:
Trial Counsel:
Last counsel of record:
Richard Sindel
8008 Carondelet Suite 301
Clayton, MO 63105
314-721-6040
Last judicial decision:
--Stay of execution dissolved by Delo v. Stokes, 495 U.S. 320 (1990).
Reported Opinions:
--Conviction and sentence affirmed on direct appeal by State v. Stokes, 638 S.W.2d 715 (Mo. banc 1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1017 (1983).
--Denial of post-conviction relief affirmed by Stokes v. State, 688 S.W.2d 19 (Mo. App. E.D. 1985)
--Denial of habeas relief affirmed by Stokes v. Armontrout, 893 F.2d 152 (8th Cir. 1989), reh'g denied, 901 F.2d 1460 (8th Cir. 1990).
--Denial of habeas relief affirmed by Stokes v. Armontrout, 851 F.2d 1085 (8th Cir. 1988), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 1019 (1989).
--Stay of execution dissolved by Delo v. Stokes, 495 U.S. 320 (1990).
Significant legal issues:
--Prosecutor's withdrawal of offer to agree to 50-year sentence in exchange for defendant's guilty plea to charges pending in St. Louis City court, after defendant refused to plead guilty in St. Louis City due to confusion about the case after he read a newspaper article, then later agreed to plead guilty to the charges in question.
--Procedural default of claim under Mills v. Maryland that penalty-phase instruction required the jury to find mitigating circumstances unanimously.
--Trial counsel's failure to elicit evidence from Mr. Stokes' parents at sentencing