Claiborne v. Mississippi
Annotate this CaseTommie Claiborne was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. According to three eyewitnesses, Claiborne chased his wife around a car, grabbed her, and shot her three times the day before their scheduled divorce hearing. Claiborne's appellate counsel filed a "Lindsey" brief. But Claiborne filed a pro se brief asserting ineffective assistance of counsel. He also argued the State violated discovery rules, the eyewitnesses at trial contradicted their statements to police, and that he was denied a speedy trial. Upon review, the Supreme Court concluded Claiborne's appeal indeed presented no arguable issues. The Court dismissed the other issues Claiborne raised in his pro se brief without prejudice so that he might raise them in any post-conviction proceedings. The Court therefore affirmed Claiborne's conviction and sentence.
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