Bebo v. Medeiros

The First Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of Appellant’s habeas petition, holding that the state court ruling challenged in this case was neither contrary to nor an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.Appellant was convicted in state court of murder in the second degree and sentenced to life imprisonment. Thereafter, Appellant filed a motion asking the court to conduct a jury inquiry on the basis that a book found in the jury deliberation room entitled “Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America (Guilty)” was “extraneous material” that could have improperly influenced the jurors’ deliberations. The trial justice denied the motion after a non-evidentiary hearing. The state appellate court affirmed Appellant’s conviction and the denial of his jury inquiry motion. Appellant later filed a petition for habeas relief in the federal district court and filed a motion for an evidentiary hearing. The district court denied both the petition and the motion. The First Circuit affirmed, holding that the state appellate court’s decision that the book did not qualify as “extraneous” material was not objectively unreasonable. View "Bebo v. Medeiros" on Justia Law