Shoulders v. State

GIVAN, Chief Justice..Appellant was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder. On July 7,1969, he was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. He waived his right to appeal the conviction. On October 22, 1981, appellant filed his petition for post-conviction relief, which was denied. He now appeals the adverse decision on that petition.

Appellant first alleges that the post-conviction court erred by requiring him to present evidence on his petition after granting his motion for default judgment. The court defaulted the State on December 2, 1982, for failure to file a timely answer to…