Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-90-01312/USCOURTS-ca10-90-01312-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Manuel Sesario Depineda
Appellant
Lou Hesse
Appellee
Mark McKenna
Appellee
Duane L. Woodard
Appellee

Document Text:

FILED 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS United States Court of Appeals T,.r,rh r; .. ,.,,it 

MANUEL SESARIO DEPINEDA, 

Petitioner-Appellant, 

v. 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

MARK MCKENNA; LOU HESSE; DUANE L. 

WOODARD, 

Respondents-Appellees. 

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ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

APR 2 4 1991 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

No. 90-1312 

(D.C. No. 90-F-1443) 

(D. Colo.) 

Before .ABDBRSOR, TACBA, and BROBRY, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously. that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

- Petitioner-appellant Manuel Sesario Depineda was convicted of 

first degree murder in Colorado state court. Petitioner is 

currently serving a life sentence at the Colorado Department of 

Corrections' Fremont Correctional Facility, Canon City, Colorado. 

In his petition for writ of habeas corpus, petitioner asserts 

three grounds for relief: (1) he was convicted under a statute 

that had been amended at the time of his indictment; (2) the trial 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 

36.3. 

Appellate Case: 90-1312 Document: 010110034357 Date Filed: 04/24/1991 Page: 1 
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• court erroneously instructed the jury that the court, and not the 

jury, would determine petitioner's sentence: and (3) the 

information charging petitioner was defective. The district court 

denied the petition. 

Because petitioner is representing himself, his petition will 

be construed liberally. Haines Y..!.. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520-21 

(1972). A petition for writ of habeas corpus will be granted by 

this court only if errors in the state court proceeding denied 

petitioner's constitutional rights. Brinlee Y..!.. Crisp, 608 F.2d 

839, 842 (10th Cir. 1979). An alleged violation of state law or 

procedure alone does not state a cognizable claim for violation of 

federal constitutional rights. Id. We agree with the district 

court that petitioner's claims do not present a federal question. 

Although petitioner has clothed his claims in federal 

constitutional language, he has raised only questions of state 

law. The errors alleged are not of such constitutional magnitude 

that they are valid habeas corpus claims. 

Petitioner has not made a substantial showing of the denial 

of an important federal right by demonstrating that the issues 

raised are debatable among jurists, that a court could resolve the 

issues differently, or that the questions deserve further 

proceedings. Barefoot Y..!.. Estelle, 463 U.S. 880 (1983). The 

certificate of probable cause is therefore denied and the appeal 

is DISMISSED. The motions pending before this court relating to 

this appeal are DENIED. The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

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ENTERED FOR THE COURT 

Deanell Reece Tacha 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 90-1312 Document: 010110034357 Date Filed: 04/24/1991 Page: 2