WALLS, ROBERT
General Information
DOB: August 3, 1965
Race: White
Gender: Male
Crime and Trial
County of conviction: St. Louis
Number of counts: One
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Male
Date of crime: December 5, 1985
Date of sentencing: December 19, 1986
Date of execution: June 30, 1999
Legal status:
Trial Counsel:
________ Kessler
Last counsel of record:
Mary Ott and Martin Hadican
225 S. Meramec Ave., Suite 832
Clayton, MO 63105
314-863-0050
Last judicial decision:
--Motion to recall the mandate denied (and construed as a second petition for habeas corpus), by Walls v. Bowersox, 180 F.3d 986 (8th Cir. 1999).
Reported Opinions:
--Conviction and sentence affirmed on direct appeal by State v. Walls, 744 S.W.2d 791 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 871 (1988).
--Denial of post-conviction relief affirmed by Walls v. State, 779 S.W.2d 560 (Mo. banc 1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1060 (1990).
--Petition for habeas corpus stayed by Walls v. Delo, 755 F. Supp. 873 (E.D. Mo. 1991).
--Denial of habeas corpus affirmed (as to guilt) and grant of habeas corpus reversed (as to sentence) by Walls v. Bowersox, 151 F.3d 827 (8th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 526 U.S. 1071 (1999).
--Motion to recall the mandate denied (and construed as a second petition for habeas corpus), by Walls v. Bowersox, 180 F.3d 986 (8th Cir. 1999).
Significant legal issues:
--trial counsel's failure to fully investigate Mr. Walls' family and mental health background, and to persuade his relatives to testify at trial
--prosecutor's improper argument during the guilt phase in reference to two hearsay statements allegedly given by Mr. Walls' accomplices suggesting that the statements would have implicated Mr. Walls ("The rules of evidence prohibit me from saying what the other two said, so I'm at a disadvantage here.")
--prosecutor's improper arguments during the penalty phase, which asked the jury to think about other crimes they had heard about, and to consider that the defendant was represented by "several lawyers"