269 Conn. 799 | Conn. | 2004
Opinion
This appeal arises from the judgments of conviction, following the guilty pleas of the defendant, Leonardo Lopez, under the Alford doctrine; see North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S. Ct. 160, 27 L. Ed. 2d 162 (1970); to various charges involving the defendant’s ownership of certain residential properties in Waterbury. The defendant did not seek to withdraw his pleas at any time prior to sentencing on the pleas. Following the sentencing on his pleas, the defendant appealed to the Appellate Court claiming, among other things, that his pleas were involuntary because the trial
After examining the record on appeal and fully considering the briefs and arguments of the parties, we conclude that the judgment of the Appellate Court should be affirmed. The thoughtful and comprehensive opinion of the Appellate Court; State v. Lopez, supra, 77 Conn. App. 67; properly resolved the issue in this certified appeal. With one exception, a further discussion by this court would serve no useful purpose. See, e.g., State v. Butler, 255 Conn. 828, 830, 769 A.2d 697 (2001).
Our only disagreement with the opinion of the Appellate Court involves its brief discussion of the ordinary presumption, in cases of pleas of guilty, that defense counsel has informed the defendant of the elements of the crimes charged. State v. Lopez, supra, 77 Conn. App. 75. The Appellate Court stated that this presumption was not supported by the record because the transcript of the plea did “not reveal that the court asked the defendant if he had an opportunity to discuss the plea [agreement] with his attorney.” Id., 75 n.11. To the extent that this passage suggests that, in order for the presumption to apply, there must be something in the
The judgment of the Appellate Court is affirmed.