Opinion ID: 147101
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The state court criminal proceedings

Text: On April 25, 1986, a criminal complaint was filed against Bunton in Colorado state court charging him with first degree murder. A public defender was initially appointed to represent Bunton, but, apparently due to a conflict of interest, subsequently withdrew from that representation. The state district court then appointed private counsel, Keith Johnson, to represent Bunton at trial. The case proceeded to trial on November 18, 1986. On November 21, 1986, at the conclusion of the prosecution's evidence (Bunton neither testified nor presented any witnesses of his own), the jury found Bunton guilty of first degree murder. On January 6, 1987, the state district court sentenced Bunton to life imprisonment in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections. Bunton filed a direct appeal challenging his conviction on two grounds: (1) prosecutorial misconduct during closing arguments; and (2) the trial court's refusal to instruct the jury on the lesser offense of second degree murder. On October 25, 1990, the Colorado Court of Appeals (CCA) issued an unpublished order affirming Bunton's conviction. State v. Bunton, No. 88CA1471 (Colo.Ct.App. Oct. 25, 1990) ( Bunton I ). Bunton filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Colorado Supreme Court. The Colorado Supreme Court denied the petition on March 25, 1991.