Hancock v. Trammell, No. 12-6255 (10th Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CaseThe State of Oklahoma charged petitioner-appellant Phillip Hancock with two counts of first-degree murder. Hancock admitted that he had killed two men, but asserted self-defense. The jury rejected the defense and found Hancock guilty on both counts, for which he received the death sentence. Hancock unsuccessfully sought relief on direct appeal to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals (“OCCA”) and in post-conviction proceedings. Hancock then turned to federal district court, seeking a writ of habeas corpus. The court denied relief, and Hancock appealed. Finding the evidence supported the jury verdict, that he did not receive ineffective assistance of trial or appellate counsel, and that there was otherwise no reversible error at trial to warrant habeas relief. Accordingly, the Tenth Circuit affirmed Hancock's conviction and sentence.
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