Candace Fox v. Deborah Johnson

Candace Fox committed a gruesome and senseless crime. She was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder, and does not argue in this § 2254 proceeding that she did not receive a fair trial.

Nonetheless, as both Judge Smith and Judge Reinhardt note, this is a troubling case. Fox originally pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for her testimony against a co-defendant. She held up her end of the bargain, testifying for five hours in a preliminary hearing. Yet both that co-defendant ahd another received lesser sentences than the one Fox is now serving. Moreover, the record of the…