Moffett v. Mississippi
Annotate this CaseEric Moffett was convicted of a savage sexual assault on a five-year-old girl, culminating in her death. Compelling evidence supported his conviction including, inter alia, conclusive DNA evidence, eyewitness testimony, and a confession. The jury determined that the victim’s murder was: (1) committed while Moffett was engaged in felonious abuse and/or battery of a child and (2) especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel. On February 25, 2006, the jury sentenced Moffett to death. Moffett filed a motion for leave to file successive petition for post-conviction relief (PCR) from his capital murder conviction and sentence of death. Not only was the motion untimely, the Mississippi Supreme Court found no merit to Moffett’s motion for leave to file successive petition for PCR: "The first claim does not pass the first prong set forth in Strickland. The second claim is barred by res judicata and, notwithstanding the bar, also fails to pass the first prong of Strickland." Accordingly, Moffett’s motion for leave to file successive petition for PCR was denied.
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