Opinion ID: 1687222
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On January 6, 1992, Eddie Lee Taylor was indicted by the Grand Jury of Walthall County for one count of murder of John Duncan, on August 11, 1991, while he, Taylor, was engaged in the commission of the crime of robbery of Duncan. The second count of the indictment contained the charge of conspiracy to commit capital murder. The conspiracy was to have taken place between Taylor and James Gatlin on or before August 11, 1991. Taylor was arrested in New Orleans and extradited to Walthall County on January 9, 1992, where he was charged with the above stated crimes. He appeared before Judge Starrett on February 7, 1992, and entered his plea of guilty to the crimes of capital murder, conspiracy to commit capital murder, and burglary. Taylor received sentences of life plus twenty years and five years, respectively, in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The twenty year sentence was for conspiracy to commit capital murder and was to run consecutively with the life sentence. The five year sentence was for burglary and was to run concurrently with the life sentence. Taylor submitted to the lower court his petition for post-conviction relief, where he alleged that his pleas were involuntarily and unintelligently given, and he had received ineffective assistance of counsel. Judge Starrett denied the petition without an evidentiary hearing on May 7, 1993. Both the petition and the order denying said petition were filed on May 11, 1993.