Lockhart v. McCotter
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
782 F.2d 1275 (1986)
Facts
Lockhart (defendant) was arrested for armed robbery. Law enforcement took an inventory of the defendant’s possessions at the time and put them in an envelope. Subsequently, Officer Kelley removed a wallet from the bag. Kelley presented the wallet at the defendant’s trial and testified that he had taken it from the envelope. The victim identified the wallet as the wallet that had been stolen. The victim also identified two pictures that were in the wallet. The pictures were of his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s children. The defendant was convicted, and he appealed and later filed an application for a writ of habeas corpus, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel because his lawyer did not raise the issue of chain of custody at trial.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Johnson, J.)
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