State ex rel. Clemons v. Larkins
Annotate this CasePetitioner was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the murders to two sisters. Petitioner was sentenced to death for the murders. Petitioner filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court, claiming that newly discovered evidence showed that the State violated Brady v. Maryland by withholding material evidence and that the Brady violation was prejudicial. The Supreme Court appointed a special master to take evidence and issue findings of fact and conclusions of law as to Petitioner’s allegation. The master eventually issued a report finding that the State had violated Brady by failing to produce evidence favorable to Petitioner and that the State’s failure to disclose this evidence was prejudicial to Petitioner. The Supreme Court adopted the master’s recommendation and vacated Petitioner’s convictions and sentences for first-degree murder, holding that substantial evidence supported the master’s findings that the State deliberately violated Brady and that the suppressed evidence, along with the totality of other evidence, showed cause and prejudice sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome of the trial.
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