& SC13-1787 Steven Douglas Hayward v. State of Florida and Steven Douglas Hayward v. Julie L. Jones, etc.

Steven Douglas Hayward appeals an order of the circuit court denying his motion filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851 to vacate his conviction of first-degree murder and sentence of death after an evidentiary hearing on certain issues raised in the motion. He also petitions this Court for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(1), (9), Fla. Const. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the denial of postconviction relief and deny his petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

I. BACKGROUND AND FACTS

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