Murphy v. Davis

KING, Circuit Judge:

Jedidiah Isaac Murphy was convicted and sentenced to death by a Texas jury for the capital murder of Bertie Cunningham. After unsuccessfully pursuing state appellate and habeas remedies, Murphy brought a federal habeas petition, which eventually was denied. We recently granted Murphy a certificate of appealability to appeal the denial of two of his federal habeas claims. See Murphy v. Davis , 732 Fed.Appx. 249, 251-52 (5th Cir.2018) (per curiam). Murphy's first claim alleges that his trial counsel was constitutionally deficient during the penalty phase of trial by failing…