Cannon v. Trammell, No. 13-5071 (10th Cir. 2015)
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Petitioner-appellant Jemaine Cannon was convicted in 1996 of murdering his then-girlfriend, Sharonda Clarke, and was sentenced to death. He filed a federal habeas petition in the Northern District of Oklahoma, which denied relief. In an appeal to the Tenth Circuit in 2004, Cannon
raised substantial questions about the performance of his trial and appellate counsel and remanded to the district court for further proceedings. The Court directed the court to consider whether Cannon’s counsel unconstitutionally: (1) failed to investigate alleged contacts between jurors and prosecution witnesses; and (2) denied him the right to testify at trial in his defense. The district court concluded that Cannon had not diligently pursued his claims relating to juror contacts in state court, denied his request for an evidentiary hearing on those claims, and denied relief. The court did, however, hold an evidentiary hearing on Cannon’s right-to-testify claim but ultimately denied relief after finding trial counsel had provided adequate assistance concerning the right to testify. Cannon appealed again, arguing: (1) the district court erred in resolving his juror-contact ineffectiveness claims without an evidentiary hearing and in refusing to grant relief on those claims; and (2) he district court erred in finding that counsel informed him of his right to testify, did not prevent him from exercising that right, and properly advised him as to the consequences of testifying. The Tenth Circuit agreed with the district court that Cannon was not diligent in developing the factual basis for these claims in state court and thus was not entitled to an evidentiary hearing. With regard to his second contention, the Tenth Circuit found no reversible error and affirmed the district court.
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