Zemina v. Solem

Herman Solem, acting warden of the South Dakota State Penitentiary, appeals from a district court order granting habeas corpus relief to prisoner Fred J. Zemina.1 Zemina cross-appeals, contending that the district court erred in rejecting several other grounds asserted in his petition. We affirm.

Zemina was convicted of first degree manslaughter in a South Dakota state court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court of South Dakota affirmed the conviction. State v. Zemina, 87 S.D. 291, 206 N.W.2d 819 (1973). In this habeas corpus action, Zemina alleges numerous defects in his…