Oken v. Sizer

OPINION

MESSITTE, District Judge.

I

Introduction

In 1987, Steven Howard Oken murdered Dawn Marie Garvin in merciless fashion, shattering the lives of her family and friends forever. The suffering that this young woman underwent, that her family and friends have undergone since, is unimaginable.

Since his conviction of this crime and his sentence of death in 1991, in an effort to undo his conviction, Oken has pursued appeals, post-conviction proceedings, at least one federal habeas corpus proceeding (handled by this member of the Court), and yet further appeals, including to the U.S. Supreme Court.…