Stenson v. Lambert

SCHROEDER, Chief Circuit Judge:

Darold Stenson was convicted and sentenced to death in Washington State in 1994 for the 1993 first-degree murders of his wife, Denise Stenson, and his business partner, Frank Hoerner. The trial was punctuated by disagreements between Stenson and his appointed counsel, Fred Leatherman. Leatherman believed that the trial phase was not winnable and, therefore, thought he should focus on the penalty phase, to spare Stenson from the death penalty. Stenson believed Leather-man should focus on an acquittal. The most serious specific issue during the guilt phase was…