In Hall v. Thomas, No. 09-12729 (July 20, 2010), the Court denied habeas relief to an Alabama inmate sentenced to life imprisonment for robbery and kidnaping.
The Court found that Hall, a juvenile, gave a voluntary confession. The Court recognized that Hall’s father was not present when his son was questioned by police, and that Hall claimed his confession was coerced, but noted that Hall’s audiotaped statement showed that he waived his Miranda rights, and indicated no coercion.
The Court also rejected ineffective assistance of counsel claims, pointing out that Hall suffered no prejudice because of the evidence against him, which included his confession.
