Chapman v. LeMaster

MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Petitioner-appellant Richard Chapman appeals an order of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico dismissing his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 habeas corpus petition with prejudice. After a jury trial in 1979, Chapman was convicted of felony murder and robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment. In his petition, Chapman argues that (1) the trial court’s failure to instruct the jury about the dangerousness of the underlying felony pursuant to State v. Harrison, 90 N.M. 439, 564 P.2d 1321 (1977), violated his due process rights; (2) the trial…