State Ex Rel. Dunlap v. McBride

Vernon H. Dunlap, Sr. (hereinafter “Mr. Dunlap”) appeals from an order of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County that denied his petition for habeas corpus relief. Mr. Dunlap filed the habeas petition subsequent to the denial of his appeal of his conviction for first degree murder and sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In this habeas appeal, Mr. Dunlap assigns the following as error: (1) he was denied effective assistance of counsel during his trial; (2) the trial was improperly bifurcated; (3) evidence was improperly admitted during the penalty phase of the…