Cuesta-Rodriguez v. Carpenter

PHILLIPS, Circuit Judge.

In this habeas corpus case, Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez challenges his Oklahoma conviction for first-degree murder and his accompanying sentence of death. The district court denied relief and denied a certificate of appealability (COA). We granted a COA, agreeing to hear a number of Cuesta-Rodriguez's claims. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2253(a), we agree *890with the district court and conclude that Cuesta-Rodriguez isn't entitled to relief.

BACKGROUND

I. The Crime of Conviction

The following facts come from the direct-appeal decision of the Oklahoma Court of…