Perez-Gonzalez v. Lashbrook

Brennan, Circuit Judge.

Raul Perez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to first degree murder for his role in a gang-related killing. His plea agreement called for a thirty-five year prison sentence and required him to testify truthfully in any prosecution against his co-defendants. More than one year after agreeing to these terms and pleading guilty, as the trial of a co-defendant approached, Perez-Gonzalez had second thoughts and declined to testify. For this refusal, he was convicted of contempt of court, resulting in an additional ten-year sentence.

After exhausting his state court remedies,…