Opinion ID: 1060510
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Scott Houston Nix

Text: Scott Houston Nix was convicted of attempted first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery and aggravated robbery on November 19, 1993. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Nix's convictions on November 21, 1995, and this Court denied his application for permission to appeal on May 6, 1996. Accordingly, the post-conviction statute of limitations expired one year after this Court's denial of the application. [1] More than one year after its expiration, on December 18, 1998, a next friend petition for post-conviction relief was filed on behalf of Nix. Citing this Court's decision in Watkins v. State, 903 S.W.2d 302 (Tenn.1995), in which we held that due process requires tolling of the statute during mental incompetence, the petition alleged that the action was not barred by expiration of the one-year statute of limitations because Nix had never been and is not currently competent. The trial court disagreed and summarily dismissed the petition as time-barred. Nix appealed the dismissal.