Opinion ID: 619152
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether Magwood was eligible for the death penalty

Text: Magwood's claim and the State's appeal are based on the retroactive application of Kyzer to his case. The Alabama Supreme Court has held in unambiguous, clear language that Kyzer is incorrect. Thus, we must determine whether Magwood's death sentence violated the fair-warning requirement of the Due Process Clause when the case that was retroactively applied to him has since been held to be dicta and incorrectly decided. [7] Stephens tells us that Kyzer should not have applied to Magwood's case. Therefore, Magwood was not eligible for the death penalty at the time of his conviction. Regardless of the conclusion that Magwood was ineligible for the death penalty under Alabama law, we must still consider whether Magwood has established a constitutional violation upon which federal habeas relief may be granted.