Nicholas Lee Ingram v. Walter D. Zant, Warden, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center

Petitioner, Nicholas L. Ingram, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, seeking collateral relief from his conviction and sentence of death. In his petition to the district court, Ingram raised twenty-seven different challenges to his conviction and sentence. On September 10, 1992, the district court denied relief without conducting an evidentiary hearing. Ingram appealed, challenging the district court’s conclusions with respect to six of his claims as well as the court’s failure to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the merits of his contentions. Because we…