Howard Verweire

        Howard Verweire was advised by his retained counsel to plead guilty to the crimes of assault in the first degree and carrying a concealed weapon, based upon an incident that occurred in Taney County, Missouri in 1999 where he pointed a loaded gun at a teenager in a video arcade. Howard originally received probation under the 120 day call-back law. However, his probation was subsequently revoked and he learned that he would have to serve 85% of a ten year sentence for assault before becoming eligible for parole. After serving nearly three years in prison, Mr. Verweire contacted the clinic and attorney Kent Gipson agreed to represent him to pursue a state habeas petition to secure his release. The petition was based upon the fact that his guilty plea to assault in the first degree lacked a factual basis and that he was actually innocent of that crime.

        The litigation culminated with a December 2006 decision from the Missouri Supreme Court, authored by Judge Steven Limbaugh, finding that Mr. Verweire was actually innocent of that crime. Verweire v. Moore, ___ S.W.3d ___, 2006 WL 791987 (Mo. banc 2006). The court further ordered Mr. Verweire to be released on a signature bond just before Christmas, 2006, so that he could be with his family. On December 21, 2006, Mr. Verweire was released from the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron and returned to his Branson area home to resume his life.