Donald Thigpen v. Morris Thigpen, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, Willie D. Johnson, Warden, Holman Unit

TJOFLAT, Chief Judge:

Donald Thigpen appeals from the district court’s refusal to grant a writ of habeas corpus, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (1988), setting aside his conviction. Thig-pen was convicted of first-degree murder by an Alabama court and sentenced to death under Ala.Code § 13-1-75 (1975) (repealed 1980), which established a mandatory death penalty for those who committed first-degree murder while serving life sentences. 1 After exhausting his remedies in state court, 2 Thigpen petitioned the district court for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging several constitutional defects in his…