Richard Chapman v. State of Mississippi

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI

WALLER, Chief Justice,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Richard Chapman currently is serving a life sentence in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He has never had a direct appeal through no apparent fault of his own, and his trial record allegedly has been destroyed. While Chapman has filed multiple motions for post-conviction relief (PCR), no appellate court has ever addressed the merits of his claims, despite potential violations of his constitutional rights. Under these peculiar circumstances, we find that, in the interests of justice, Chapman is entitled to…