Robert L. Floyd v. Larry Meachum, Commissioner of Correction, State of Connecticut

FEINBERG, Circuit Judge:

This is one of those rare cases where the improper comments in a prosecutor’s summation were so numerous and, in combination, so prejudicial that a new trial is required. Petitioner Robert L. Floyd appeals from a judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, Peter C. Dorsey, J., denying his application for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In January 1985, after a jury trial in Connecticut Superior Court, Floyd was found guilty of using a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission and of arson in the third degree.…