Ex Parte Sanders

The defendant, James Randall Sanders, was convicted of robbery in the first degree and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, pursuant to the Habitual Felony Offender Act. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction, with an unpublished memorandum. 602 So.2d 1232.

This Court granted certiorari review in order to determine whether an indigent defendant, for whom a third party has retained legal counsel, has a right to funds for expert assistance when the need for that assistance and its relevance to the defense theory is shown; and, if so, whether the…