Sanford Thomas v. Donald Wyrick

BRIGHT, Circuit Judge.

Sanford Thomas seeks habeas corpus relief from his conviction in the state courts of Missouri of first degree murder and from his sentence of life imprisonment. The district court, after an evidentiary hearing, denied Thomas any relief. Thomas appeals, asserting that the assistance afforded by his retained trial counsel fell below minimal constitutional standards and that the prosecutor violated due process by falsely stating that a crucial witness was unavailable due to illness. Thomas has fully exhausted his state remedies.1

*409The basic facts underlying petitioner’s…