Walton v. State (Majority)
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to a term of life imprisonment without parole. Appellant's sole argument on appeal was that he did not knowingly and intelligently waive his right to counsel because the circuit court failed to adequately warn him about the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation. Specifically, Appellant asserted that the deficiencies the Supreme Court observed in Bledsoe v. State were equally present in this case and required reversal of his conviction. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence, holding that, on the record, Appellant made his decision with open eyes, choosing to forego the right to counsel with full awareness of the dangers and pitfalls associated with self-representation.
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