Ruiz v. State

Petitioners Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton were first convicted in the Circuit Court of Logan County of capital murder in the June 29, 1977, robbery, kidnapping and shooting deaths of Marvin Ritchie and Opal James. The jury returned death sentences. On appeal, we reversed and remanded for a new trial in another part of the district. Ruiz & Denton v. State, 265 Ark. 875, 582 S.W.2d 915 (1979). The two men were again tried and again death sentences were imposed. We affirmed on appeal. Ruiz & Denton v. State, 275 Ark. 94, 617 S.W.2d 6 (1981). Petitioners then sought postconviction relief pursuant…