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Nov. 7, 2023Jefferson City, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

Missouri Supreme Court affirms judgement against Chillicothe man

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled against a Chillicothe man sought postconviction relief.

Aaron Hecker's appeal involved allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to investigate his mental health to determine if he was competent to proceed, referring to an attorney who represented him.

In March 2019, Hecker pleaded guilty to a single charge of second-degree assault of a special victim and resisting arrested after he shot at two police officers while they were attempting to arrest him.

A psychiatrist testified that Hecker’s mental health conditions made him incompetent to plead guilty as he couldn’t rationally understand the proceedings.

The circuit court denied Hecker’s motion, citing a plea transcript and the private counsel’s testimony.

On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment that counsel was not ineffective in failing to investigate Hecker's competency.