Magraw v. Roden

SELYA, Circuit Judge.

This is a habeas proceeding brought by a state prisoner against a Massachusetts correctional official in an effort to secure relief from a conviction and life sentence for second-degree murder. In pursuit of that habeas relief, he advances three discrete claims of constitutional error. After thoughtful consideration, the district court rejected these claims. So do we.

I. BACKGROUND

Because the petitioner’s asseverational array includes a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, we rehearse the background facts in the light most flattering to the jury’s verdict. See…