Raleigh: Denying habeas relief for 1994 murders

In Raleigh v. Sec., Fla. Dep’t of Corrections, No. 14-14198 (June 30, 2016), the Court affirmed the denial of habeas relief to a Florida inmate sentenced to death for 1994 murders. The Court rejected, inter alia, the argument that the State put on contradictory cases for two accomplices at two trials, one that portrayed Raleigh as a “drunken boob,” another at his own trial that portrayed him as a cold, calculating murderer. The Court found that the “drunken boob” comment was made in passing, and did not accurately characterize the state’s argument.