State v. Whitson
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of first-degree felony murder and attempted first-degree premeditated murder. Defendant was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. The Supreme Court stayed Defendant’s appeal so he could pursue postconviction relief. The district court denied Defendant’s petition for postconviction relief without holding an evidentiary hearing. On appeal, Defendant alleged the same five errors that he raised in his postconviction petition and argued that the postconviction court erred by denying his petition without granting an evidentiary hearing. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions and the summary denial of Defendant’s petition for postconviction relief, holding (1) Defendant was not entitled to a new trial on any of his claims; and (2) the postconviction court did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant’s petition without a hearing.
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