Rayfield Newlon v. William Armontrout

MAGILL, Circuit Judge.

The State of Missouri appeals from the district court’s 1 order granting Rayfield Newlon’s 28 U.S.C. § 2254 petition for writ of habeas corpus, vacating Newlon’s death sentence, and ordering the State to either resentence Newlon to life imprisonment without parole for fifty years or grant him a new penalty phase trial. See Newlon v. Armontrout, 693 F.Supp. 799 (W.D.Mo.1988). We conclude that the State’s arguments alleging error on the part of the district court do not warrant a reversal of the district court’s grant of habeas relief. Accordingly, we affirm the district…