Earl Mitchell v. C. Murray Henderson, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary

DYER, Circuit Judge:

Mitchell appeals from the District Court’s dismissal of his petition for habeas corpus relief. We reverse and remand for an evidentiary hearing.

I

After pleading guilty, appellant was convicted of rape. A state trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Mitchell contends, inter alia, that his guilty plea was precipitated by a coerced confession, which the police allegedly obtained by utilizing threats and physical brutality. He asserts that the mistreatment continued at Orleans Parish Prison, where he was incarcerated after confessing.

Moreover, Mitchell claims that the…