Charles C. Coogan v. Gary McCaughtry

On April 20, 1979, Charles Coogan shot and killed a bartender and a patron at the Four Corners Tavern in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. After a jury trial Coogan was convicted on two counts of first degree murder and two counts of armed robbery. He received two consecutive life sentences for the murder convictions and 10 years for the robbery convictions.

Seven years later, Coogan filed a motion for a new trial alleging that he was denied effective assistance of counsel, that he was entitled to a new trial based on newly discovered evidence, and that fundamental fairness required that he be…