Fortini v. Murphy
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
257 F.3d 39 (2001)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Robert Fortini (plaintiff) shot and killed Caesar Monterio. Fortini asserted self-defense, testifying that Monterio had lunged at Fortini first. The state trial court declined to admit evidence that Monterio had assaulted four individuals right before the incident with Fortini. Fortini was convicted of second-degree murder. Fortini filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in federal district court, claiming that the trial court’s exclusion of the assault evidence violated his due-process rights under Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284 (1973). The district court denied the petition. Fortini appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Boudin, C.J.)
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