Oscar Turner v. W. J. Estelle, Jr., Director, Texas Department of Corrections

AINSWORTH, Circuit Judge:

In this appeal from the District Court’s denial of a writ of habeas corpus, we must decide whether petitioner’s conviction of robbery by assault in a Texas state court must be overturned on the ground that the state failed to afford petitioner a speedy trial. We conclude that Turner’s right to a speedy trial has not been violated and affirm the decision of the District Court.

I. Factual Background

On April 21, 1967, Donnie Hutcheson, the proprietor of a small grocery store in Dallas, Texas, was robbed of several hundred dollars. During the robbery Hutcheson was shot…