Robert Allen Gaines v. Joe S. Hopper

Petitioner Robert Allen Gaines was convicted of murder in the Sumter County, Georgia, Superior Court on October 9, 1973 and sentenced to life imprisonment. After exhausting his state remedies, petitioner brought this habeas corpus petition in federal district court alleging, inter alia, that he was denied his constitutionally guaranteed right to effective assistance of counsel. Following an evidentiary hearing, the district court granted relief, finding that the failure of petitioner’s appointed counsel to conduct an adequate pre-trial investigation deprived petitioner of constitutionally…