UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN 

NORTHERN DIVISION 

CHRISTOPHER HOWARD, 

Petitioner, Case Number 1:06-CV-14272 

 Honorable Thomas L. Ludington 

v. 

KURT JONES, 

Respondent. 

___________________________/ 

OPINION AND ORDER DENYING PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS 

CORPUS, DECLINING TO ISSUE A CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY, 

AND DENYING LEAVE TO APPEAL IN FORMA PAUPERIS 

Petitioner Christopher Howard, a Michigan state prisoner, has filed an application for a 

writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Following a jury trial in the Oakland 

County Circuit Court, Petitioner was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, Mich. 

Comp. Laws § 750.316(a), and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. In his habeas 

petition, he raises claims concerning the sufficiency of the evidence, the admission of certain 

evidence, the conduct of the prosecutor, his actual innocence based upon “newly-discovered” 

medical records, and the effectiveness of defense counsel. For the reasons that follow, the Court 

will deny the petition. The Court will also deny a certificate of appealability and leave to 

proceed in forma pauperis on appeal. 

I 

Petitioner’s conviction arises from the death of his wife, Marie Irons, at her home in 

Southfield, Michigan on December 29, 2002. The Court adopts the summary of the trial 

testimony provided by defense counsel on direct appeal to the extent it is consistent with the 

record. Those facts are as follows: 

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Defendant and Irons were married and had one son, C.J., who was two at the time 

of the murder. Also living with the couple was Irons' son from a former marriage, 

Gregory. On Fridays, Irons’ mother, Johnella Moses, babysat C.J, while Irons 

was at work. Defendant and Irons met at a conference in Texas and were married 

on October 9, 1999, Irons was the director of technology for the Pontiac Schools, 

while defendant worked for a computer company. Moses claimed that defendant 

stole money from her husband’s company. In December, 2002, defendant was 

hospitalized because “he was acting crazy again.” According to Moses, Irons 

packed defendant’s car with his clothes and left it at the hospital. When defendant 

was discharged, he wanted to move back into the marital home, but Irons and her 

two sons moved in with Moses. Moses claimed Irons was going to file for divorce 

“that Monday.” 

Moses told jurors about a conversation she had with defendant around 

Thanksgiving, 2002 in which she accused defendant of taking advantage of Irons 

and told defendant “[I]f you don’t stop the nonsense, you’re going to lose your 

family.” Defendant replied “I’ll never lose them. I’ll kill them before I lose 

them.” Moses immediately told Irons, and Irons began to stay either with her 

sister and brother-in-law or with Moses. 

On December 23, 2002, Irons got a personal protection order (PPO), because she 

was afraid of defendant, and moved back into the marital home. Moses claimed 

that Irons had alleged that defendant had sent word that “I have the children’s 

coffins” and that he was upset because he did not have more say in raising Irons’ 

older son Gregory. The home was alarmed, but not on the basement windows, and 

Irons changed the locks twice, once after defendant was discharged from the 

hospital and again after she obtained the PPO. Moses later told Southfield Police 

that there had been “a lot of trouble” between Irons and defendant, that there had 

been threats made to both Irons and her family, there had been a dispute over 

money and that it had been alleged that defendant had stolen a large sum of 

money from her husband’s business. 

Over defense objection, Dawn Hasselbach, C.J.’s nanny, testified that between 

November and December, 2002, she talked to Irons about the state of her 

marriage, and that on December 20, 2002, Irons called to ask her to board the 

family dog because defendant had “been let out on bond from something 

previous,” she was afraid and she was going to her mother’s house. On December 

24, 2002, Irons called Hasselbach to ask for the dog back so that she, her sons and 

the dog could celebrate Christmas at the marital home. When Hasselbach brought 

the dog back, Irons showed her the PPO, and Hasselbach suggested to Irons to get 

a gun to protect herself. Hasselbach testified that she suggested that Irons get a 

gun “because she, she was, you know, afraid of, of what might happen. She was 

afraid for her life.” Irons told Hasselbach she was not going to get a gun. 

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On December 28, 2002 between 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., defendant went to a store in 

Southfield to see a fillet knife and a sharpener. After the clerk gave him the knife 

and the sharpener, defendant asked if the store sold axes. The store did not sell 

axes, but the clerk showed defendant a hatchet and referred defendant to the 

hardware section, which had a different hatchet that was longer. Apparently, 

defendant bought the knife, sharpener and hatchet. 

Gregory testified that in December, 2002, defendant and Irons had been arguing 

“over the lies that he had told her that . . . my mother had found out about” and 

that she was planning to sue for divorce. The arguments did not get physical, and 

he did not hear defendant make any threats towards Irons. At some point, Irons 

began to be afraid of defendant to the point that security people were hired to 

watch the visits between defendant and C.J. He told jurors that the family dog 

usually ran loose in the house at night and did not remember seeing slash marks 

on the blue pillow. On December 29, 2002, he was using the home office 

computer on the first floor while Irons and C.J. were in Irons’ room. Irons went 

to bed at around midnight with C.J., who usually slept with her. Irons kept the 

door to her bedroom open during the night. Gregory went to bed at about 1:00 

a.m., closing the door to his bedroom before he went to bed. Although he was a 

light sleeper, he did not hear anything unusual during the night, other than a noise 

shortly after he went to bed, “but it could have been the dog or anything.” The 

next thing he remembered was waking up and hearing someone knocking on the 

front door and ringing the doorbell. He got up and went to Irons’ room to wake 

her to tell her that someone was at the door, and found her. 

At 6:30 a.m. on December 29, 2002, Romulus police were dispatched to a hotel 

room because defendant had called to report that he had been stabbed. After 

being advised that the emergency call was an open line, police forced entry into 

room and saw a semi-conscious black man, later identified as defendant, dressed 

in a white T-shirt and blue boxer shorts laying on his back on the bed with a large, 

deep wound on his left wrist and two or three wounds on his right wrist. A 

stainless steel knife with a black blade was lying by his knees. As defendant was 

being treated by medical personnel, Donald Smith found an Oakland County PPO 

in a black leather case next to the bed. After Smith read about a “significant 

amount of violence” in the PPO, he had the desk sergeant contact Southfield 

Police to conduct a welfare check of Irons’ house. Defendant was eventually 

taken to the hospital, where Romulus police took him into custody at the request 

of Southfield police. A later search of defendant’s room turned up four or five 

letters police believed were suicide notes, medication, and a hatchet found 

between the box spring and mattress pad, among other things. Police seized 

defendant’s keys and his “athletic-type” shoes. 

Southfield police dispatched to the marital home on a welfare check rang the 

doorbell and knocked on the door and getting no answer, began to walk around 

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the house to check for signs of forced entry, and noticed what appeared to be fresh 

footprints in the snow leading towards the back of the house. They noticed that a 

screen on the rear basement window had been cut, and that the window was 

unlocked, but closed. As police prepared to enter the house through the basement 

window, they heard someone running down the stairs, so they ran around to the 

front, and were met by Gregory, who said that his mother was upstairs in the 

bedroom, bleeding from the neck. Irons appeared to be dead in the master 

bedroom, laying partially out of bed with her head and arms near the floor with a 

large gash on the left side of her neck. A great deal of blood was underneath her 

head. It did not appear that there had been a struggle. Beside her, a small child 

was sleeping. Police grabbed him and took him downstairs. 

Police found a blood “droplet” on the carpet in the upstairs hallway, a blue pillow 

that had been cut in a spare bedroom, blood stains where Irons was found and 

blood spatter on the wall and ceiling. Bloodstains were found on the top of a 

dresser, on a night stand, the bed, bed clothes, headboard, wall above the 

headboard and picture above the headboard and on the floor. Chris Helgert 

determined that castoff spatter on the ceiling was consistent with Irons’ wounds 

because they traveled in opposite directions. Arterial spurt was found in two 

locations on the wall behind the headboard near the bedpost, supporting Helgert’s 

hypothesis that Irons’ carotid artery was cut as she lay in bed. 

Police lifted several fingerprints [some of which matched those of petitioner] 

from the inside of the basement window. They found a green duffel bag 

containing a calculator, black marker, cologne, airline ticket stub, knife sharpener, 

screwdriver, cigarette adapter, rubber gloves and clothes in the basement. They 

later impounded and searched defendant’s car and found a leather hatchet cover 

on the front seat, instructions for a knife sharpener on the passenger side floor and 

medical documents. There was no blood in the car. They photographed the 

footprints leading to the basement window. 

Pete Simerly testified that it appeared to him that Irons had been laying on her 

shoulder when she was struck, based on the wounds she suffered. Helgert testified 

that it appeared to him that Irons was laying on her back looking toward the 

ceiling when she was struck, based on the arterial spurt. Helgert could not 

reconcile his “opinion” with Simerly’s “opinion.” 

Oakland County Medical Examiner Valery Alexandrov performed Irons’ autopsy, 

which revealed two huge wounds bearing features of both cut and stab wounds in 

that the edges were clean, very deep, and longer than deep and deeper than long, 

leading him to conclude that they were inflicted by a sharp blade object. The 

first wound was four inches long and went very deep into the neck, severing the 

carotid vein and carotid artery. The second wound was so deep that it extended to 

the spine, severed the spinal cord and looked like a partial decapitation. 

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Forensically, both wounds were classified as chopped wounds. Dr. Alexandrov 

opined that the wounds were consistent with being inflicted in a reclining position 

by someone standing over them because they were in the same location and 

appeared to have been inflicted within seconds of each other. 

Dr. Alexandrov offered a third opinion of the position of Irons’ body when she 

was attacked: on her back with her head turned to the right, or she could have 

been sleeping on her side, but the most important thing was that her head was 

turned in such a way that it exposed the left side of her neck. Either wound would 

have been fatal. No defensive wounds were noted. According to Dr. Alexandrov, 

Irons’ death was a homicide caused by multiple chop force wounds to the neck. 

In his opinion, the wounds would have been inflicted with “enormous” force 

because a bone’s density is close to the density of oak wood. He could not 

estimate the amount of blood loss. He theorized that a terminal jerk occurring 

after the attack caused her body to wind up in the position in which police found 

it. 

Shortly after defendant was released from the hospital and taken to the Southfield 

Police Department, Helgert interrogated him “to determine his involvement in this 

murder.” During a first interrogation that began at 2:10 p.m. on December 29, 

2002, defendant told Helgert about his activities beginning on December 28, 

2002. He woke up, did some work for a client in his hotel room, went to the post 

office to pick up some Christmas presents his mother had mailed to his children 

and went to pick up some money that had been wired to him. Since defendant 

knew he could not drop the presents at the marital home because of the PPO, he 

drove there, found an unknown couple, and asked them to leave the presents on 

the porch. He then went to a movie theatre and bought a ticket for a future film, 

ate lunch and went to a microbrewery, where he shot pool and drank dark beer. 

Defendant remembered talking to his parents, remembered driving, but not where 

he drove, remembered a sign saying “Cleveland,” and remembered waking up 

bleeding in his hotel room. 

During this first interrogation, defendant told Helgert that the last time he had 

been in the marital home was “on the Monday before Christmas,” when he was 

hospitalized and that on December 23, 2002, Irons had served him with the PPO, 

had told him that she was going to divorce him because she was upset with him 

for failing to “make a meeting” about investment or banking issues and because 

she had learned that defendant had lied about the parentage of a daughter from 

another marriage. Defendant told Helgert upon his discharge from the hospital, 

he learned that Irons had packed his bags, put them into his car and had made a 

tentative reservation for him at the Red Roof Inn. Defendant told Helgert that he 

had written some checks from a company account for money he thought was 

available to him that ultimately bounced, opened up a credit of comparison card 

account in Irons’ name without her knowledge, and had run up a $30,000 balance. 

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Defendant did not ask about Irons during this first interrogation, even when 

shown a wedding photograph and a Polaroid photograph of Irons “in her death 

mask in the bed with the wounds to her neck and the blood, deceased,” other than 

to say “if I did that, I’ll die or I’ll be dead.” At one point, he told Helgert that he 

thought he had taken care of all of his outstanding traffic tickets. 

Defendant told Helgert that Irons had changed the locks on the marital home, but 

gave him keys to fit them and that the code to the home alarm had not changed. 

He denied putting the family dog into a crate in the basement. 

Defendant told Helgert during the first interrogation that he met a man named 

Ralph while checking in to the Red Roof Inn who commented that it appeared that 

he was having a hard time, and suggested taking up hunting and camping because 

it was peaceful. Defendant said that “Ralph” told him that he was going out of 

town, but would take him camping and hunting when he returned, and that he 

should assemble a camping kit in the meantime. Defendant first went to a store in 

Highland Township and saw a camping kits containing a small axe, knife, 

sharpener and lighter fluid but it was too expensive, so he decided to assemble the 

kit himself using less expensive items. When Helgert pressed defendant about 

when or where he bought the hatchet, defendant said he did not remember buying 

one, but could not say that he did not buy one. He could not remember the sheath, 

either. Defendant told Helgert that he had gone to K-Mart in Southfield to buy a 

knife and two screwdrivers to change some fuses in his car. Defendant thought he 

had bought the sharpener “some time ago” and identified the green duffel bag as 

his. Defendant did not know how blood had gotten onto the knife. 

This first interrogation “was not especially productive” for Helgert because “we 

did not come to the point of discussing the homicide per se,” so he attempted a 

second one on December 30, 3002. Apparently, defendant had told a “uniform 

turnkey” that he woke up thinking “all kinds of thoughts.” During this 

interrogation, defendant told Helgert that he remembered talking to Irons on the 

telephone and that they had agreed to discuss the future, the divorce and the 

children, but that Irons had wanted to wait until the children were in bed. At 

about 2:30 a.m. or 3:00 a.m., Irons called and told him that Gregory had finally 

gone to bed and that he could come over. Irons let him in through the front door. 

Defendant had brought the green bag containing the knife, hatchet, knife 

sharpener and rubber gloves that he had purchased for camping and cleaning so 

that he could fill it with items of his from the basement. Irons had already 

“crated” the family dog in the basement. Defendant told Helgert that shortly after 

he began collecting his possessions in the basement, he and Irons had a very loud 

argument, with Irons saying that he would never see the children again, that she 

was going back to her first husband and that defendant was not half the man that 

her first husband was. These comments made defendant unhappy. 

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Defendant told Helgert that the next thing he remembered was standing at the foot 

of the basement stairs with the knife in one hand and the hatchet in the other. 

Defendant next remembered standing in the first floor foyer with papers in one 

hand and the bloody fillet knife and bloody hatchet in the other. He remembered 

thinking “did I do something, could I have done this.” Defendant told Helgert 

that he left the house via the front door, got in the car, put the hatchet and knife on 

the seat next to him and drove to Romulus. ( Once back at his hotel room, 

defendant took medication because he had a headache, went to bed, and awoke 

bleeding. When Helgert told defendant that he did not believe his story of not 

remembering “the act of killing her,” defendant denied killing Irons, saying that 

there was a void that he did not remember. Defendant did not admit to 

committing the homicide in either interrogation. 

Helgert testified that this was the last time he interrogated defendant. He told 

jurors that he then drafted four search warrants to search the marital home twice, 

the Romulus hotel and defendant’s car “to ensure that the defendant’s rights are 

protected.” On December 30, 2002, he went to the marital home and tried to open 

it with the keys found in defendant's Romulus hotel room, but none fit any of the 

locks. 

Defendant told jurors he and Irons met in April, 1998 at a conference in Dallas, 

Texas, moved to Michigan after they became engaged, were married on October 

9, 1999, the second marriage for both. Irons knew about his two daughters from 

his prior marriage. He had met Irons’ first husband and had no problems with 

him, although he became angry when Irons told him that she planned on returning 

to him. He felt that he and Irons had a good marriage “up until the point of 

December.” He worked, Irons had a fulltime job and they jointly owned and paid 

for the marital home. He testified that claims that C.J. routinely slept with Irons 

were incorrect, explaining that if he woke up before 4:00 a.m., they put him back 

to bed in his own room, but after 4:00 a.m., they let him sleep with them. 

Defendant testified that he and Irons had a joint account and each had separate 

accounts of “play money.” He denied Moses’ claim that he was taking money, 

telling lies and cheating people and denied that she confronted him with her 

suspicions. He acknowledged working for Moses’ husband’s company, 

explaining that his Massachusetts-based company did contract work 

implementing and supporting the company’s accounting software from 

December, 2002 until November, 2003. He never actually worked for Moses’ 

husband’s company, never ran that company, but acknowledged having access to 

the company’s accounts. He denied taking money from Moses’ husband’s 

company. His company was paid directly by Moses’ husband’s company, and he 

received his paycheck from the Massachusetts-based company. 

Difficulties in the marriage began in late December, 2002 because Irons was worn 

down with the negative things her family told her about defendant and with his 

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illness to the point that she wanted a divorce. He was hospitalized for a 

combination of physical and mental ailments for a week and when he was 

discharged, Irons told him that she wanted a divorce and he went to a hotel where 

Irons had made reservations for him. The news made him depressed and 

confused because there had been no discussion about a divorce before he went 

into the hospital. Losing his wife “period” was worse than losing his wife to her 

first husband. 

On the advice of his attorney, defendant went back to the marital home “the 

Friday after me being released,” found that the locks had been changed, so he 

called police, and ultimately called Irons, who gave him a key, but went to stay 

with Moses. He denied telling Moses that he would kill his family before losing 

them. Defendant testified that he had to cut one of the screens to the basement 

window with a pair of cutting pliers and entered the house through an unlocked 

basement window. The alarm did not go off because the basement windows did 

not have alarm circuits on them. After he discovered that several of the basement 

windows were unlocked, he locked them all “that Saturday.” 

Defendant stayed alone at the marital home for three days before being served 

with the PPO on “the Monday before Christmas,” causing him to leave and taking 

up residence at a hotel, but he still spoke to Irons on the telephone, mainly about 

visiting C.J. in public places for an hour or so. He visited C.J. twice before Irons 

died and hand no idea “security people” had been hired for these visitations. 

Defendant explained how he came to buy the hatchet, knife and sharpener. On the 

one night he stayed at the Red Roof Inn, he met and went out to dinner with 

“Ralph,” who suggested that he try camping and “getting into the outdoors” and 

recommended a store that sold camping kits. After dinner, they exchanged 

telephone numbers, and “Ralph” promised to take him camping the next time he 

went “up north.” Defendant told jurors that he had been camping “maybe twice” 

in his entire life and owned a sleeping bag. 

On “that Saturday,” defendant went to the store to assemble a camping kit. He 

had initially gone to get a thin knife so that he could get a fuse out of his car. 

After he had seen a camping kit at another store, he also planned to get similar 

items, such as lighter fluid, an axe, a sleeping bag, a knife and a “starter” to “start 

flames,” for his kit. He bought the axe to “produce firewood on a camping trip.” 

He acknowledged buying the knife sharpener, but did not recall using it to 

sharpen the axe. When he bought the knife and the axe, he never thought to 

murder Irons or harming the children with them and had no thoughts of ending his 

own life. 

Defendant testified that during a midnight telephone call on December 28, 2002, 

Irons agreed to meet with him at the marital home to make arrangements to visit 

C.J. and to “sit down and talk,” and was let into the residence by Irons through the 

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garage. Gregory had already gone to bed. The hatchet and knife made their way 

into the house because defendant wanted to use the bag they were in to retrieve 

casual clothes from the marital home. He had no intention of killing Irons or 

killing himself in front of Irons. 

Defendant made a last-ditch effort to reconcile, but Irons would have none of it, 

so they started to talk about the divorce. The conversation did not last more than 

30 minutes. Defendant felt terrible and angry that Irons did not want to reconcile 

and was not sure that it made him angry enough to take an axe and attack her. 

The conversation escalated into a loud argument. He did not remember anything 

after the argument. 

Defendant told jurors that he believed that he was responsible for causing Irons’ 

wounds, but did not plan them. He had no memory of anything because “we were 

in a heated argument when I went downstairs to the basement” and he was having 

migraine headaches. He did not remember going up to the second floor, but 

believed he went there. 

He did not recognize the blue pillow and did not recall cutting it. He did not 

remember chopping anything in the marital home or raising the axe. He did not 

remember if C.J. was in bed with Irons and wound not have intentionally or 

premeditatedly killed Irons if he knew C.J. had been there. He could only 

remember holding a bloody hatchet and the letters in the foyer. 

He could not explain why he did not just walk away, except to say “I was walking 

away from Marie and going downstairs.” He remembered leaving, taking the 

“murder weapons” with him, but could not remember where the axe went. 

Defendant did not know how it was that he woke up bleeding and did not 

remember cutting his wrists. He did not recall thinking that he was going to kill 

himself, did not know how his wrists got cut, but believed at trial that they were 

self-inflicted. He told jurors that the notes found in his room were not suicide 

notes. He further testified that when he initially talked to police. he did not have 

any memory of what really happened at the marital home. 

Brief of Defendant-Appellant at 1–16, People v. Howard, No. 251017, 2005 WL 155890 (Mich. 

Ct. App. Jan. 25, 2005) (per curiam) (footnotes and internal citations omitted). 

Following his conviction and sentencing, Petitioner filed an appeal as of right with the 

Michigan Court of Appeals asserting that: (1) the prosecution presented insufficient evidence to 

support his first-degree murder conviction; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by allowing a 

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police officer to provide a lay opinion regarding footprints found outside the victim’s home; (3) 

the trial court erred in admitting witness testimony of the victim’s statements about fearing 

Petitioner; (4) the prosecutor engaged in misconduct by appealing to the jury’s sympathy for the 

victim; and (5) the trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to those arguments. The 

court denied relief on the claims and affirmed Petitioner’s conviction. People v. Howard, No. 

251017, 2005 WL 155890 (Mich. Ct. App. Jan. 25, 2005) (per curiam) (unpublished). Petitioner 

filed an application for leave to appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court, which was denied. 

People v. Howard, 703 N.W.2d 811 (Mich. 2005). 

In 2006, Petitioner filed an initial habeas petition with this Court, which was ultimately 

held in abeyance to allow him to exhaust additional claims in the state courts. 

Petitioner then filed a motion for relief from judgment with the state trial court asserting 

that: (1) trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate his case and present evidence to 

support his theory of the case; (2) his conviction should be overturned due to newly-discovered 

evidence which suggests that the victim’s death was caused by a psychotic break and not 

premeditation thereby establishing his actual innocence; and (3) he was denied a fair trial due to 

cumulative error. The trial court concluded that Petitioner had failed to establish good cause and 

actual prejudice under Michigan Court Rule 6.508(D)(3)(a) and (b) and denied the motion. 

People v. Howard, No. 03-189534-FC (Oakland Co. Cir. Ct. Dec. 20, 2006) (unpublished). 

Petitioner filed a delayed application for leave to appeal in the Michigan Court of 

Appeals, which was denied for failure “to meet the burden of establishing entitlement to relief 

under MCR 6.508(D).” People v. Howard, No. 283939 (Mich. Ct. App. Nov. 3, 2008) 

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(unpublished). Petitioner filed an application for leave to appeal with the Michigan Supreme 

Court, which was also denied. People v. Howard, 769 N.W.2d 667 (Mich. 2009). 

Petitioner then moved to reopen his case in this Court and proceed on his present habeas 

petition, raising the same claims presented to the state courts on direct appeal and collateral 

review of his conviction (absent the cumulative error claim). The Court granted his motion and 

reopened the case. Respondent has since filed an answer to the petition contending that it should 

be denied because the claims lack merit, are not cognizable, and are barred by procedural default. 

Petitioner has filed a reply to that answer. 

II 

The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), which governs 

this case, permits a federal court to issue the writ only if the state court decision on a federal 

issue “was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal 

law, as determined by the Supreme Court,” or it amounted to “an unreasonable determination of 

the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding.” 28 U.S.C. § 

2254(d)(1)–(2); Franklin v. Francis, 144 F.3d 429, 433 (6th Cir. 1998). 

Mere error by the state court does not justify issuance of the writ; rather, the state court’s 

application of federal law “must have been objectively unreasonable.” Wiggins v. Smith, 539 

U.S. 510, 520–21(2003) (quoting Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 409 (2000) (internal quotes 

omitted)). Additionally, this Court must presume the correctness of state court factual 

determinations. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1) (“In a proceeding instituted by an application for a writ 

of habeas corpus by a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court, a 

determination of a factual issue made by a State court shall be presumed to be correct.”); see also 

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West v. Seabold, 73 F.3d 81, 84 (6th Cir. 1996) (“The court gives complete deference to state 

court findings of historical fact unless they are clearly erroneous.”). 

A state court decision to be “contrary to” clearly established precedent, the Supreme 

Court explains, “if the state court applies a rule that contradicts the governing law set forth in our 

cases. . . . A state-court decision will also be contrary to this Court’s clearly established 

precedent if the state court confronts a set of facts that are materially indistinguishable from a 

decision of this Court and nevertheless arrives at a result different from [the Court’s] precedent.” 

Williams, 529 U.S. at 405-06. 

A state court decision involves an “unreasonable application” of clearly established 

precedent, the Court explains, “if the state court identifies the correct governing legal principle 

from this Court’s decisions but unreasonably applies that principle to the facts of the prisoner’s 

case.” Id. at 413. 

The Court cautions, however, that an unreasonable application of federal law is different 

from an incorrect application of federal law. Unanimously emphasizing the limited nature of this 

review in Harrington v. Richter, 131 S. Ct. 770 (2011), the Court reiterated that AEDPA imposes 

a highly deferential standard for evaluating state-court rulings, writing: “A state court’s 

determination that a [petitioner’s] claim lacks merit precludes habeas relief so long as 

‘fairminded jurists could disagree’ on the correctness of the state court’s decision.” Id. at 785–

86 (quoting Yarborough v. Alvarado, 541 U.S. 652, 664 (2004)). Moreover, habeas review is 

“limited to the record that was before the state court.” Cullen v. Pinholster, 131 S. Ct. 1388, 

1398 (2011). 

 

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III 

A 

Petitioner first asserts that he is entitled to habeas relief because the prosecution 

presented insufficient evidence to support his first-degree murder conviction. This assertion 

lacks merit. 

The Federal Due Process Clause “protects the accused against conviction except upon 

proof beyond a reasonable doubt of every fact necessary to constitute the crime with which he is 

charged.” In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364 (1970). The standard of review for a sufficiency of 

the evidence challenge must focus on whether “after viewing the evidence in the light most 

favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of 

the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979) (emphasis 

omitted). “The Jackson standard must be applied ‘with explicit reference to the substantive 

elements of the criminal offense as defined by state law.’” Brown v. Palmer, 441 F.3d 347, 351 

(6th Cir. 2006) (quoting Jackson, 443 U.S. at 324 n.16). 

A federal habeas court views this standard through the framework of 28 U.S.C. § 

2254(d). Martin v. Mitchell, 280 F.3d 594, 617 (6th Cir. 2002). Thus, under the AEDPA, 

challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence “must survive two layers of deference to groups 

who might view facts differently” than a reviewing court on habeas review — the factfinder at 

trial and the state court on appellate review — as long as those determinations are reasonable. 

Brown v. Konteh, 567 F.3d 191, 205 (6th Cir. 2009). “A reviewing court does not re-weigh the 

evidence or re-determine the credibility of the witnesses whose demeanor has been observed by 

the trial court.” Matthews v. Abramajtys, 319 F.3d 780, 788 (6th Cir. 2003) (citing Marshall v. 

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Lonberger, 459 U.S. 422, 434 (1983)). Accordingly, “[t]he mere existence of sufficient evidence 

to convict . . . defeats a petitioner’s claim.” Matthews, 319 F.3d at 788-89. 

Under Michigan law, first-degree premeditated murder requires proof that the defendant 

intentionally killed the victim and that the killing was premeditated and deliberate. See People v. 

Kelly, 231 Mich. App. 627, 642, 588 N.W.2d 480 (1998); Mich. Comp. Laws § 750.316. 

Premeditation and deliberation may be established by evidence showing: “(1) the prior 

relationship of the parties; (2) the defendant’s actions before the killing; (3) the circumstances of 

the killing itself; and (4) the defendant’s conduct after the homicide.” People v. Schollaert, 194 

Mich. App. 158, 170, 486 N.W.2d 312 (1992); see also People v. Abraham, 234 Mich. App. 640, 

656, 599 N.W.2d 736 (1999). Direct or circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences 

arising from that evidence may constitute satisfactory proof of the elements of an offense, see 

People v. Jolly, 442 Mich. 458, 466, 502 N.W.2d 177 (1993), including the defendant’s intent or 

state of mind. See People v. Dumas, 454 Mich. 390, 398, 563 N.W.2d 31 (1997); see also 

People v. Nowack, 462 Mich. 392, 402–403, 614 N.W.2d 78 (2000). 

Applying the Jackson standard, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the prosecution 

presented sufficient evidence to establish that Petitioner acted with premeditation and 

deliberation in killing the victim. The court recognized that Petitioner presented contrary 

evidence, but determined that conflicts in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the 

prosecution, and denied relief on this claim. Howard, 2005 WL 155890 at *1. 

The state court’s decision is neither contrary to Supreme Court precedent nor an 

unreasonable application of federal law or the facts. The record reveals that the prosecution 

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presented sufficient evidence to establish Petitioner’s guilt of the charged offense beyond a 

reasonable doubt. 

The trial testimony indicated that Petitioner benefitted financially from his marriage to 

the victim, that the victim intended to divorce him and had obtained a PPO against him, that 

Petitioner threatened the victim, that he purchased a hatchet, a knife, and a sharpener the day 

before the murder, that he brought those items to the victim’s house during the middle of the 

night and entered the house through an unarmed basement window, that he crated the victim’s 

dog, that he struck the victim with the hatchet twice on the left side of her neck, causing instant 

death, and that he returned to his motel room and put the hatchet under his mattress. Such 

testimony provided ample evidence that Petitioner committed the crime and that he acted with 

premeditation and deliberation so as to support his first-degree murder conviction. 

Petitioner challenges the inferences and credibility determinations made by the jury at 

trial. However, it is the job of the fact-finder at trial, not a federal habeas court, to resolve 

evidentiary conflicts. See Jackson, 443 U.S. at 326; Martin v. Mitchell, 280 F.3d 594, 618 (6th 

Cir. 2002); Walker v. Engle, 703 F.2d 959, 969–70 (6th Cir. 1983) (“A federal habeas corpus 

court faced with a record of historical facts that supports conflicting inferences must presume — 

even if it does not affirmatively appear in the record — that the trier of fact resolved any such 

conflicts in favor of the prosecution, and must defer to that resolution.”). 

The jury’s verdict was reasonable. As was the Michigan Court of Appeals’ decision 

affirming that verdict. The trial testimony and evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the 

prosecution, established beyond a reasonable doubt that Petitioner caused the victim’s death and 

that he possessed the requisite intent for first-degree murder. More importantly, for purposes of 

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habeas review, this Court cannot say that the Michigan Court of Appeals’ ruling to that effect 

was unreasonable. Habeas relief is not warranted on this claim. 

B 

Petitioner next asserts that he is entitled to habeas relief because the trial court erred in 

admitting certain testimony. Specifically, he asserts that the trial court erred in admitting a 

police officer’s lay opinion testimony about footprints found outside the victim’s home and erred 

in admitting witness testimony about the victim’s statements expressing fear of Petitioner. This 

claim lacks merit. 

Alleged trial court errors in the application of state evidentiary law are generally not 

cognizable as grounds for federal habeas relief. See Estelle v. McGuire, 502 U.S. 62, 67–68 

(1991) (“it is not the province of a federal habeas court to reexamine state-court determinations 

on state-law questions”); Serra v. Mich. Dep’t of Corr., 4 F.3d 1348, 1354 (6th Cir. 1993). 

“Trial court errors in state procedure and/or evidentiary law do not rise to the level of federal 

constitutional claims warranting relief in a habeas action, unless the error renders the proceeding 

so fundamentally unfair as to deprive the petitioner of due process under the Fourteenth 

Amendment.” McAdoo v. Elo, 365 F.3d 487, 494 (6th Cir. 2004) (quoting McGuire, 502 U.S. at 

69–70); see Wynne v. Renico, 606 F.3d 867, 871 (6th Cir. 2010) (citing Bey v. Bagley, 500 F.3d 

514, 519-20 (6th Cir. 2007)); Bugh v. Mitchell, 329 F.3d 496, 512 (6th Cir. 2003). 

Accordingly, to the extent that Petitioner asserts that the trial court erred in admitting 

testimony under the Michigan Rules of Evidence, he merely alleges violations of state law which 

do not entitle him to federal habeas relief. See, e.g., Wheeler v. Jones, 59 F. App’x 23, 28 (6th 

Cir. 2003). State courts are the final arbiters of state law and the federal courts will not intervene 

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in such matters. See Lewis v. Jeffers, 497 U.S. 764, 780 (1990); see also Bradshaw v. Richey, 

546 U.S. 74, 76 (2005); Sanford v. Yukins, 288 F.3d 855, 860 (6th Cir. 2002). Habeas relief is 

not warranted on this claim. 

C 

Petitioner next asserts that the trial court erred in admitting a police officer’s lay opinion 

testimony about footprints found in the snow outside of the victim’s home. The officer testified 

that the size and pattern of the footprints was identical or nearly identical to Petitioner’s shoes. 

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that the testimony was proper and admissible under state 

law as lay opinion testimony under Michigan Rule of Evidence 701. Howard, 2005 WL 155890 

at *2. This decision is neither contrary to Supreme Court precedent nor an unreasonable 

application thereof. 

First, Petitioner fails to cite any federal case establishing that the admission of opinion 

testimony offends fundamental principles of justice, and an independent review reveals none. 

Petitioner’s allegation that the evidentiary rulings are “fundamentally unfair” and violate due 

process does not transform such state law issues into federal constitutional claims. See, e.g., 

Petrucelli v. Coombe, 735 F.2d 684, 688 (2d Cir. 1984) (“‘Alleging lack of a fair trial does not 

convert every complaint about evidence or prosecutor’s summation into a federal due process 

claim’”). There is generally no prohibition on a witness offering opinion testimony which goes 

to an ultimate issue in a case. Both the Federal and Michigan Rules of Evidence permit such 

testimony. See Fed. R. Evid. 704(a); Mich. R. Evid. 704. Thus, there is no clearly established 

federal law as determined by the Supreme Court which suggests that the admission of such 

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evidence violates the Constitution. See Hopp v. Burt, No. 03-10153, 2007 WL 162248, *9 (E.D. 

Mich. Jan. 16, 2007). 

Second, Petitioner has not shown that the testimony was improper or that its admission 

violated due process. Under Michigan law, lay opinion testimony is admissible if it is “(a) 

rationally based on the perception of the witness and (b) helpful to a clear understanding of the 

witness’ testimony or the determination of a fact in issue.” Mich. R. Evid. 701. The opinions 

and reliable conclusions of investigating police officers who have not been qualified as experts 

have also been deemed admissible under Michigan law when the testimony is based upon 

observations and not dependent upon scientific expertise. See People v. Oliver, 170 Mich. App. 

38, 49-50, 427 N.W.2d 898 (1988). In this case, the police officer’s opinion about the footprints 

was based upon his police experience, his observations at the scene, and his investigation of the 

case. It was proper to admit the officer’s opinion, and the basis for that opinion, to assist the trier 

of fact in resolving the factual issues at trial. Moreover, the trial court properly instructed the 

jury about the consideration of the testimony. 

Petitioner does not establish that the admission of the lay opinion testimony deprived him 

of a fair trial or otherwise violated his constitutional rights. See, e.g., Rhodus v. Berghuis, No. 

07-CV-15009, 2010 WL 4260092, *8-9 (E.D. Mich. Oct. 22, 2010) (denying relief on similar 

claim). Habeas relief is not warranted on this claim. 

D 

Petitioner next asserts that the trial court erred in admitting witness testimony about the 

victim’s statements expressing fear of Petitioner. Petitioner alleges that the statements were 

inadmissible hearsay and that their admission violated his confrontation rights. The Michigan 

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Court of Appeals denied relief on this claim finding that the statements were admissible under 

the Michigan Rules of Evidence and finding that the confrontation argument was unpreserved 

and meritless. Howard, 2005 WL 155890 at *3-5. 

This decision is neither contrary to Supreme Court precedent nor an unreasonable 

application thereof. Petitioner has not shown that the admission of such testimony rendered his 

trial fundamentally unfair. As found by the Michigan Court of Appeals, the victim’s statements 

concerning her fears of Petitioner were admissible under Michigan Rule of Evidence 803 to 

show her existing state of mind and provided circumstantial evidence of Petitioner’s motive and 

premeditation. Petitioner has not shown that the trial court’s ruling was erroneous or that it 

deprived him of a fair trial. 

Petitioner is also not entitled to relief on his claim that the admission of the statements 

violated his confrontation rights. The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution 

provides that “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to be 

confronted with the witnesses against him. . . .” U.S. Const. amend. VI. The Confrontation 

Clause guarantees a criminal defendant the right to confront the witnesses against him. See 

Davis v. Alaska, 415 U.S. 308, 315 (1973). The Sixth Amendment protections are not so broad, 

however, as to exclude the admission of certain hearsay statements against a criminal defendant 

despite his or her inability to confront the declarant at trial. See Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 

836, 847-48 (1990). 

In Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004), the Supreme Court held that the 

testimonial statement of a witness who does not appear at trial is inadmissible unless the witness 

is unavailable to testify and the defendant has had a prior opportunity to cross-examine the 

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witness. Testimonial statements include preliminary hearing testimony, grand jury testimony, 

prior trial testimony, and statements made during police interrogations. Id. at 54. Testimonial 

statements do not include remarks made to family members or acquaintances, business records, 

or statements made in furtherance of a conspiracy. Id. at 51–52, 56; United States v. Martinez, 

430 F.3d 317, 328-29 (6th Cir. 2005); see also United States v. Stover, 474 F.3d 904, 912-13 (6th 

Cir. 2007). The victim’s statements to family members and friends were non-testimonial in 

nature. The Confrontation Clause is not implicated. 

D 

Petitioner next asserts that he is entitled to habeas relief because the prosecutor engaged 

in misconduct by appealing to jurors’ sympathies for the victim during closing and rebuttal 

arguments. In particular, he objects to the prosecutor’s remarks about obtaining “justice for 

Marie” and giving Petitioner “what he deserves.” Petitioner further asserts that trial counsel was 

ineffective for failing to object to those remarks. 

To prevail on a claim of prosecutorial misconduct, a habeas petitioner must demonstrate 

that the prosecutor’s remarks “so infected the trial with unfairness as to make the resulting 

conviction a denial of due process.” Donnelly v. DeChristoforo, 416 U.S. 637, 643 (1974). The 

Sixth Circuit has adopted a two-part test for determining whether prosecutorial misconduct 

violates a defendant’s due process rights. See Macias v. Makowski, 291 F.3d 447, 452 (6th Cir. 

2002) (citing cases). First, the court must determine whether the challenged statements were 

indeed improper. Id. at 452. Upon a finding of impropriety, the court must decide whether the 

statements were flagrant. Id. Flagrancy is evaluated based on: (1) whether the statements tended 

to mislead the jury or prejudice the accused; (2) whether the statements were isolated or among a 

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series of improper statements; (3) whether the statements were deliberately or accidentally before 

a jury; and (4) the total strength of the evidence against the accused. Id.; see also Boyle v. 

Milton, 201 F.3d 711, 716 (6th Cir. 2000) (citing United States v. Francis, 170 F.3d 546, 540–50 

(6th Cir. 1999)). 

In Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), the Supreme Court set forth a twoprong test for determining whether a habeas petitioner has received the ineffective assistance of 

counsel. First, a petitioner must prove that counsel’s performance was deficient. This requires a 

showing that counsel made errors so serious that he or she was not functioning as counsel as 

guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Id. at 687. A petitioner must identify acts that were 

“outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance” in order to prove deficient 

performance. Id. at 690. Second, the petitioner must establish that counsel’s deficient 

performance prejudiced the defense. To satisfy the prejudice prong, a petitioner must show that 

“there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the 

proceeding would have been different.” Id. at 694. 

“The standards created by Strickland and § 2254(d) are both ‘highly deferential,’ and 

when the two apply in tandem, review is ‘doubly’ so.” Harrington v. Richter, 131 S. Ct. 770, 

788 (2011) (citations omitted). “When § 2254(d) applies, the question is not whether counsel’s 

actions were reasonable. The question is whether there is any reasonable argument that counsel 

satisfied Strickland’s deferential standard.” Id. at 788. 

The Michigan Court of Appeals denied relief on these claims, finding that Petitioner 

failed to object to the prosecutor’s disputed arguments at trial, that those arguments were based 

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upon the evidence and were appropriate, and that trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to 

object to the prosecutor’s statements. Howard, 2005 WL 155890 at *4-6. 

This decision is neither contrary to Supreme Court precedent nor an unreasonable 

application of federal law. It is well-settled that a prosecutor may not make remarks “calculated 

to incite the passions and prejudices of the jurors.” United States v. Solivan, 937 F.2d 1146, 

1151 (6th Cir. 1991). A prosecutor improperly invokes the passions and prejudices of the jury 

when he or she “calls on the jury’s emotions and fears — rather than the evidence — to decide 

the case.” Johnson v. Bell, 525 F.3d 466, 484 (6th Cir. 2008). 

In this case, to the extent that the prosecutor’s comments were improper, they were not so 

flagrant as to render the trial fundamentally unfair. Moreover, any potential prejudice to 

Petitioner was mitigated by the fact that the trial court properly instructed the jurors on the law, 

explained that the attorneys’ comments were not evidence, and directed them not to let sympathy 

or prejudice influence their decision. See Knapp v. White, 296 F. Supp. 2d 766, 776 (E.D. Mich. 

2003). Petitioner has failed to establish that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct which 

rendered his trial fundamentally unfair. Habeas relief is not warranted on this claim. 

Likewise, Petitioner cannot establish that he was prejudiced by counsel’s conduct. 

Defense counsel cannot be deemed deficient for failing to make a futile objection or motion. See 

United States v. Steverson, 230 F.3d 221, 225 (6th Cir. 2000). Petitioner has not shown that trial 

counsel was ineffective under the Strickland standard. Habeas relief is not warranted on this 

claim. 

 

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E 

Petitioner next asserts that he is entitled to relief because he is actually innocent. 

Specifically, he believes that “newly-discovered” medical records (from care he received several 

days before the crime) would show that his actions in killing the victim were the result of a 

psychotic break and not premeditation and deliberation. Respondent contends that this claim is 

barred by procedural default, not cognizable, and lacks merit. 

In Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390 (1993), the Supreme Court held established that 

claims of actual innocence based on newly discovered evidence “have never been held to state a 

ground for federal habeas relief absent an independent constitutional violation occurring in the 

underlying state criminal proceeding.” Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390, 400 (1993). The Court 

explained that “federal habeas courts sit to ensure that individuals are not imprisoned in violation 

of the Constitution — not to correct errors of fact.” Id. 

In House v. Bell, 547 U.S. 518, 555 (2006), the Court declined to answer the question left 

open in Herrera — whether a habeas petitioner may bring a freestanding claim of actual 

innocence outside the death-penalty context. Id. at 555 (noting that “in a capital case a truly 

persuasive demonstration of ‘actual innocence’ made after trial would render the execution of a 

defendant unconstitutional and warrant federal habeas relief if there were no state avenue open to 

process such a claim”). 

Following Herrera and House, the Sixth Circuit holds that a free-standing claim of actual 

innocence based upon newly discovered evidence does not warrant federal habeas relief. Wright 

v. Stegall, 247 F.App’x 709, 711 (6th Cir. 2007) (“Since the Supreme Court has declined to 

recognize a freestanding innocence claim in habeas corpus, outside the death-penalty context, 

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this court finds that [the petitioner] is not entitled to relief under available Supreme Court 

precedent.”); see also Sitto v. Lafler, No. 06–2203, 2008 WL 2224862, *1 (6th Cir. May 28, 

2008) (same). Consequently, Petitioner’s claim that he is actually innocent and has newlydiscovered evidence to prove his innocence fails to state a claim upon which habeas relief can be 

granted. 

F 

Lastly, Petitioner asserts that he is entitled to habeas relief because trial counsel was 

ineffective for failing to properly investigate his case and present additional evidence in support 

of his defense theory. 

Federal habeas relief may be precluded on claims that a petitioner has not presented to 

the state courts in accordance with the state’s procedural rules. See Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 

U.S. 72, 85–87 (1977). The doctrine of procedural default is applicable when a petitioner fails to 

comply with a state procedural rule, the rule is actually relied upon by the state courts, and the 

procedural rule is “adequate and independent.” White v. Mitchell, 431 F.3d 517, 524 (6th Cir. 

2006); see also Howard v. Bouchard, 405 F.3d 459, 477 (6th Cir. 2005); Coleman v. Mitchell, 

244 F.3d 533, 539 (6th Cir. 2001). The final reasoned state court judgment should be used to 

make this determination. See Ylst v. Nunnemaker, 501 U.S. 797, 803-05 (1991). If the final 

state court judgment is an unexplained denial of relief, it is presumed that the last reviewing 

court relied upon the last reasoned opinion. Id. 

Petitioner first properly presented this claim to the state courts in his motion for relief 

from judgment. The Michigan Supreme Court denied relief pursuant to Michigan Court Rule 

6.508(D), which provides, in part, that a court may not grant relief to a defendant if the motion 

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for relief from judgment alleges grounds for relief which could have been raised on direct appeal, 

absent a showing of good cause for the failure to raise such grounds previously and actual 

prejudice resulting therefrom. See Mich. Ct. R. 6.508(D)(3). The Sixth Circuit has held that the 

form order used by the Michigan Supreme Court to deny leave to appeal in this case is 

unexplained because its citation to Michigan Court Rule 6.508(D) is ambiguous as to whether it 

refers to a procedural default or a rejection on the merits. See Guilmette v. Howes, 624 F.3d 286, 

291-92 (6th Cir. 2010) (en banc). Consequently, under Guilmette, the Court must “look through” 

the unexplained order of the Michigan Supreme Court to the state trial court’s decision to 

determine the basis for the denial of state post-conviction relief. 

In this case, the state trial court denied relief on procedural grounds. The trial court cited 

Michigan Court Rule 6.508(D)(3)(a) and (b) and concluded that Petitioner had not established 

good cause for his failure to raise the claim on direct appeal or actual prejudice. Accordingly, 

this ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim is procedurally defaulted. 

A state prisoner who fails to comply with a state’s procedural rules waives the right to 

federal habeas review absent a showing of cause for noncompliance and actual prejudice 

resulting from the alleged constitutional violation, or a showing of a fundamental miscarriage of 

justice. See Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 750–51 (1991); Nields v. Bradshaw, 482 F.3d 

442 (6th Cir. 2007); Gravley v. Mills, 87 F.3d 779, 784–85 (6th Cir. 1996). 

Petitioner asserts ineffective assistance of appellate counsel as cause to excuse his 

procedural default. It appears that Petitioner did not raise the issue of ineffective assistance of 

appellate counsel in his motion for relief from judgment before the state trial court, and first 

raised the issue before the state appellate courts. To the extent that he did not properly exhaust 

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the ineffective assistance of appellate counsel issue in the state courts, he has defaulted that issue 

and it may not serve as cause to excuse his procedural default here. See Edwards v. Carpenter, 

529 U.S. 446, 453 (2000); Jacobs v. Mohr, 265 F.3d 407, 417–18 (6th Cir. 2001). 

Moreover, even if Petitioner has sufficiently exhausted the issue, he has not shown that 

appellate counsel was ineffective. As noted, in order to establish ineffective assistance of 

counsel, the petitioner must show that counsel’s performance was deficient and that the deficient 

performance prejudiced the defense. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687. It is well-established that a 

criminal defendant does not have a constitutional right to have appellate counsel raise every nonfrivolous issue on appeal. See Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745, 751 (1983). The Supreme Court 

explains: 

For judges to second-guess reasonable professional judgments and impose on 

appointed counsel a duty to raise every “colorable” claim suggested by a client 

would disserve the . . . goal of vigorous and effective advocacy . . . . Nothing in 

the Constitution or our interpretation of that document requires such a standard. 

Id. at 754. Strategic and tactical choices regarding which issues to pursue on appeal are 

“properly left to the sound professional judgment of counsel.” United States v. Perry, 908 F.2d 

56, 59 (6th Cir. 1990). In fact, “the hallmark of effective appellate advocacy” is the “process of 

‘winnowing out weaker arguments on appeal and focusing on’ those more likely to prevail.” 

Smith v. Murray, 477 U.S. 527, 536 (1986) (quoting Barnes, 463 U.S. at 751–52). “Generally, 

only when ignored issues are clearly stronger than those presented will the presumption of 

effective assistance of appellate counsel be overcome.” Monzo v. Edwards, 281 F.3d 568, 579 

(6th Cir. 2002). 

Petitioner does not show that by omitting the ineffective assistance of counsel claim 

presented in his motion for relief from judgment, appellate counsel’s performance fell outside the 

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wide range of professionally competent assistance. Appellate counsel presented legitimate issues 

on direct appeal, including claims concerning the sufficiency of the evidence, the admission of 

certain evidence, the conduct of the prosecutor, and the effectiveness of trial counsel. Such 

issues, although ultimately unsuccessful, were substantial. The issues presented in the motion 

for relief from judgment are not obviously stronger than the ones raised by appellate counsel on 

direct appeal. Petitioner has failed to demonstrate that appellate counsel was ineffective so as to 

establish cause to excuse his procedural default. The Court need not address the issue of 

prejudice when a petitioner fails to establish cause to excuse a procedural default. See Smith, 

477 U.S. at 533; Long v. McKeen, 722 F.2d 286, 289 (6th Cir. 1983). 

Finally, Petitioner has not demonstrated that a fundamental miscarriage of justice has 

occurred. The miscarriage of justice exception requires a showing that a constitutional violation 

probably resulted in the conviction of one who is actually innocent. See Murray v. Carrier, 477 

U.S. 478, 479–80 (1986). To be credible, such a claim of actual innocence requires a petitioner 

to support the allegations of constitutional error with new reliable evidence that was not 

presented at trial. Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298, 324 (1995). Actual innocence means factual 

innocence, not mere legal insufficiency. Bousley v. United States, 523 U.S. 614, 623 (1998). 

Petitioner does not make such a showing. First, his own medical records are not “newlydiscovered,” given that he was aware of his medical treatment at the time of trial. (Moreover, to 

the extent that any undisclosed records are new, Petitioner has failed to provide them.) 

Conclusory allegations, without evidentiary support, do not provide a basis for habeas relief. See 

Cross v. Stovall, 238 F. App’x 32, 39–40 (6th Cir. 2007). Second, any medical records regarding 

his medical care a week or more before the crime do not establish that he was unable to form the 

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requisite intent at the time of the crime. And third, and any such medical records would merely 

go to legal insufficiency, not factual innocence. It is undisputed that Petitioner killed the victim. 

Petitioner has failed to establish that a fundamental miscarriage of justice has occurred. This 

claim does not warrant habeas relief. 

IV 

 Before Petitioner may appeal this Court’s dispositive decision, a certificate of 

appealability must issue. See 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(a); Fed. R. App. P. 22(b). A certificate of 

appealability may issue “only if the applicant has made a substantial showing of the denial of a 

constitutional right.” 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2). When a court rejects a habeas claim on the merits, 

the substantial showing threshold is met if Petitioner demonstrates that reasonable jurists would 

find the district court's assessment of the constitutional claim debatable or wrong. See Slack v. 

McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484–85 (2000). “A petitioner satisfies this standard by demonstrating 

that . . . jurists could conclude the issues presented are adequate to deserve encouragement to 

proceed further.” Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 327 (2003). In applying that standard, a 

district court may not conduct a full merits review, but must limit its examination to a threshold 

inquiry into the underlying merit of Petitioner’s claims. Id. at 336–37. “The district court must 

issue or deny a certificate of appealability when it enters a final order adverse to the applicant.” 

Rules Governing § 2254 Cases, Rule 11(a), 28 U.S.C. foll. § 2254. 

Petitioner has not demonstrated a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional 

right. Accordingly, a certificate of appealability is not warranted in this case. The Court further 

concludes that Petitioner should not be granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal, as 

any appeal would be frivolous. See Fed. R. App. P. 24(a). 

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V 

 Accordingly, it is ORDERED that the petition for writ of habeas corpus (ECF No. 1) is 

DENIED. 

 It is further ORDERED that a certificate of appealability is DENIED. 

 It is further ORDERED that permission to proceed in forma pauperis on appeal is 

DENIED. 

Dated: May 8, 2012 

 s/Thomas L. Ludington 

 THOMAS L. LUDINGTON 

 United States District Judge 

 

PROOF OF SERVICE 

The undersigned certifies that a copy of the foregoing order was served 

upon each attorney of record herein by electronic means and upon 

Christopher Howard, #468574, at Lakeland Correctional Facility, 141 

First Street, Coldwater, MI 49036 by first class U.S. mail on May 8, 

2012. 

 s/Tracy A. Jacobs 

 TRACY A. JACOBS

1:06-cv-14272-TLL-MKM Doc # 26 Filed 05/08/12 Pg 29 of 29 Pg ID 1814