Opinion ID: 1058176
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: State Court Proceedings

Text: In February of 1986, the petitioner and a co-defendant entered the home of Patrick Daniels and Norma Norman under the guise of buying drugs. After binding and blindfolding the victims, the petitioner repeatedly stabbed Daniels in the chest while Daniels pleaded for his life, and he stabbed Norman several times in the back. Daniels died as a result of the stab wounds to his chest, but Norman survived. Id. at 550. The jury imposed the death sentence for the killing of Daniels after determining that evidence of the following aggravating circumstances outweighed evidence of mitigating factors: the petitioner had a prior conviction for a felony involving the use of violence or the threat of violence to the person; the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel in that it involved torture or depravity of mind; and the murder was committed during the perpetration of an armed robbery. Id. at 552-53. This Court affirmed the first degree murder conviction and death sentence on direct appeal in 1990. Id. at 553. The United States Supreme Court denied a writ of certiorari. Jones v. Tennessee, 498 U.S. 908, 111 S.Ct. 280, 112 L.Ed.2d 234 (1990). After his direct appeal, the petitioner challenged his convictions and his death sentence by filing a petition for post-conviction relief. The trial court denied post-conviction relief, and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed. Jones v. State, 1995 WL 75427 (Tenn.Crim.App., Feb.23, 1995). This Court denied the petitioner's application for permission to appeal, Jones v. State, 1995 WL 75427 (Tenn., Feb. 23, 1995), and the United States Supreme Court again denied a writ of certiorari. Jones v. Tennessee, 516 U.S. 1122, 116 S.Ct. 933, 133 L.Ed.2d 860 (1996).