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JOHN COCKRUM b.n.f. MANDY WELCH Applicant
vs.
GARY JOHNSON DIRECTOR TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE INSTITUTIONAL DIVISION Respondent.
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Issues:
Sixth Amendment, corrections, due process.
Case Summary:
John Cockrum files a writ of habeas corpus following his conviction for the murder of a store clerk during an armed robbery. Cockrum was sentenced to death.
Decision of lower jurisdiction:
A Bowie County Circuit Court jury found Cockrum guilty of shooting Eva May to death during an armed robbery of the store where she worked as a clerk. Cockrum was sentenced to death by lethal injection. A Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the ruling of the lower court.
Outcome:
Cockrum wins. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted a writ of habeas corpus. The court ruled that Cockrum did not receive adequate counsel during the sentencing aspect of his trial.