Paul Ruiz v. Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction, Earl Van Denton v. Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction

RICHARD S. ARNOLD, Chief Judge.

The habeas corpus petitions of Paul Ruiz and Earl Van Denton, both of whom are under sentence of death, are once again before us. Ruiz and Denton have been convicted of capital murder and sentenced to die for the killing of Marvin Ritchie, Town Marshal of the Town of Magazine, Arkansas, and Opal James, an employee of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. The killings took place in 1977. Ruiz and Denton have been tried three times, and a brief account of the prior proceedings in these cases is necessary to put in context the issues presented on the…