August Williams v. C. Murray Henderson, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit August 16, 1972

August Williams v. C. Murray Henderson, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary, 465 F.2d 995 (5th Cir. 1972)

1972 U.S. App. LEXIS 7887

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

Petitioner was convicted on a Louisiana charge of aggravated rape and sen *996 tenced to death. After exhausting State remedies, he filed the present § 2254 application for writ of habeas corpus which was denied by the District Court. We vacate and remand.

Petitioner asserts two constitutional grounds for setting aside his death penalty. The first of these, the Wither-spoon 1 issue, need not be confronted because recent Supreme Court pronouncement makes clear that his second contention, the assertion that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment in contravention of the Eighth Amendment, requires reconsideration of the Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus by the District Court. Accordingly, we vacate the District Court’s order and remand for reconsideration in light of Furman v. Georgia, 1972, 408 U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346 and companion cases.

Vacated and remanded.

. Witherspoon v. Illinois, 1968, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, 20 L.Ed.2d 776. The issue here involved analysis of a Wither-spoon problem in light of La.C.Cr.P. Art. 799.

Reference

Full Case Name: August WILLIAMS, Petitioner-Appellant, v. C. Murray HENDERSON, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary, Respondent-Appellee
Cited By: 3 cases
Status: Published