Matthews v. State

The appellant, Shirley Matthews, was convicted of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and attempted theft of property. The conspiracy conviction was subsequently vacated by the trial court. Matthews was sentenced to a twenty-year prison term on the arson conviction and a six-year prison term on the attempted theft of property conviction. The Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in Matthews v. State, CACR 94-1007 (April 17, 1996). Matthews subsequently filed a timely petition for postconviction relief pursuant to Arkansas Criminal Procedure Rule 37. After a hearing, the Circuit…