Armstrong v. Hobb, No. 11-1049 (8th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseDefendant was convicted in Arkansas state court of two counts of capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for killing his estranged wife and their unborn child. The court concluded that the Arkansas court's decision to exclude evidence that defendant's former girlfriend and the former girlfriend's sister could have committed the murder was not contrary to, or an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law. Therefore, the district court did not err in denying habeas relief to defendant and the judgment was affirmed. Defendant's two remaining arguments were outside the scope of the Certificate of Appealability and therefore the court declined to address them.
Court Description: Prisoner case - habeas. Trial court's decision, under Arkansas law, to reject Armstrong's proposed evidence that two other people may have been responsible for a murder was not contrary to, nor an unreasonable application of, clearly established federal law; arguments not within scope of the Certificate of Appealability would not be considered.
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on November 6, 2012.
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