Richard Chapman v. State of Mississippi

BEAM, JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:

¶ 1. This appeal arises from the Hinds County Circuit Court's order granting in part Richard Chapman's motion for post-conviction relief (PCR), following this Court's mandate in Chapman v. State , 167 So.3d 1170 (Miss. 2015) ( Chapman IV ). There, in a five-to-four decision, a majority of this Court found that no direct appeal was taken from Chapman's 1982 conviction for rape and life sentence, and ordered the trial court to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine if the record and transcript from the jury trial still existed, and if not, whether something…