Murph v. State

WISE, Judge.

On September 24, 1999, the appellant, Mario Stevenson Murph, entered a plea of guilty to the charge of capital murder. After hearing the evidence, a jury found Murph guilty. Pursuant to a plea agreement, the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Murph did not appeal his conviction. On October 1, 2001, acting pro se, he filed a Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition, challenging his conviction. After the State responded, the circuit court summarily denied the petition. This appeal followed.

In his petition, Murph, an African-American, claimed…