Dale Helmig, Petitioner-Appellee/cross v. Michael Kemna, Respondent-Appellant/cross

LOKEN, Chief Judge.

In 1996, a jury convicted Dale Helmig of murdering his mother, Norma. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parol. The Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, State v. Helmig, 950 S.W.2d 649 (Mo.App.1997), and subsequently affirmed the denial of post-conviction relief, Helmig v. State, 42 S.W.3d 658 (Mo.App.2001). Helmig petitioned for federal habeas relief in April 2002. In an amended petition filed many months later, he asserted a new claim that his constitutional rights were violated when jurors obtained and consulted during their…