Cary Michael Lambrix v. Harry K. Singletary, JR., Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections (520 U.S. 518)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 12, 1997 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 520 U.S. 518 · 117 S. Ct. 1517
- Decided
- May 12, 1997
- Term
- October Term 1996
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. We granted certiorari in this case to consider whether a prisoner whose conviction became final before our decision in Espinosa v. Florida, 505 U. S. 1079 (1992) (per curiam), is foreclosed from relying on that decision in a federal habeas corpus proceeding because it announced a “new rule” as defined in Teague v. Lane, 489 U. S. 288 (1989). I On February 5, 1983, Cary Michael Lambrix and his girlfriend, Frances Smith, met Clarence Moore and Aleisha Bryant at a local tavern. The two couples returned to Lam-brix’s trailer for dinner, where Lambrix killed Moore and Bryant in brutal fashion. Lambrix was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. In the sentencing phase of trial, the jury rendered an advisory verdict recommending that the trial court sentence Lambrix to death on both counts. The trial court, after finding five aggravating circumstances in connection with the murder of Moore, four aggravating circumstances in connection with the murder of Bryant, and no mitigating circumstances as to either murder, sentenced Lambrix to death on both counts. Lambrix’s conviction and sentence were upheld on direct appeal by the Florida Supreme Court. Lambrix v. State, 494 So. 2d 1143 (1986). After the Florida courts denied his repeated efforts to obtain collateral relief, Lambrix v. Dugger, 529 So. 2d 1110 (Fla. 1988); Lambrix…
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