Clarence Simpson, Jr. v. Louie L. Wainwright, Director, Division of Corrections, State of Florida

COLEMAN, Circuit Judge.

In 1962, Clarence Simpson was convicted by a jury in the Circuit Court of Dade County, Florida, of the crime of first degree murder. It was not until 1968 that the Supreme Court decided Bruton v. United States, 391 U.S. 123, 88 S.Ct. 1620, 20 L.Ed.2d 476. On ha-beas corpus to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Simpson alleged that he was entitled to Bruton relief. The District Court held that the Bruton infractions revealed by the state trial transcript were harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Because Simpson was identified on the…