James Eric Mansfield v. David Dormire

BEAM, Circuit Judge.

James Eric Mansfield appeals the denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. We affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

Mansfield was convicted in Missouri state court of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the stabbing death of Mark Trader. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of life imprisonment.

Before trial, the state filed a motion in limine to exclude evidence that other people had a motive and an opportunity to commit the murder. Because there was no evidence directly linking the others to the crime, the trial court granted the motion. The…