Richard Lee Owen v. Jack Duckworth

In his second appeal to this court, the petitioner, Richard Lee Owen, seeks review of the district court’s denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The issue on appeal is whether Owen was denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury as a result of a threat made to one juror and communicated by that juror to other members of the jury. Noting jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 2253; we hold that the district court’s finding of no juror prejudice is clearly erroneous and, accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the district court.

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Richard Lee Owen was tried and convicted by an…