No. 18-_______ IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES October Term, 2018 _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ MARION WILSON, JR., Petitioner, -v- BENJAMIN FORD, Warden, Respondent. THIS IS A CAPITAL CASE __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE GEORGIA SUPREME COURT __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Marcia A. Widder (Ga. 643407) GEORGIA RESOURCE CENTER 303 Elizabeth Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30307 (404) 222-9202 Brian S. Kammer (Ga. 406322) 241 E Lake Drive Decatur, Georgia 30030 (678) 235-4964 COUNSEL FOR MR. WILSON QUESTION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW THIS IS A CAPITAL CASE 1) Are due process and the Eighth Amendment violated when a prosecutor knowingly argues falsehoods about the defendant’s culpable acts in order to incite the jury to impose the death penalty? 2) Can the State of Georgia be permitted to execute a defendant where it lacked probative evidence that he killed, intended to kill, or engaged in conduct leading up to the murder that reflected reckless indifference, and where evidence obtained post-conviction demonstrates that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct in order to secure the death penalty? i TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTION PRESENTED FOR REVIEW..................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................................................................... iii OPINIONS BELOW ....................................................................................................................... 1 JURISDICTION ............................................................................................................................. 2 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS INVOLVED ........................................................................ 2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE ....................................................................................................... 2 A. Relevant Facts ................................................................................................................ 2 B. Proceedings Below ......................................................................................................... 9 REASONS FOR GRANTING THE PETITION .......................................................................... 11 I. The Prosecutor’s Knowingly False and/or Misleading Argument to the Jury Rendered Mr. Wilson’s Sentencing Fundamentally Unfair and Unreliable in Violation of the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Analogous Provisions of the Georgia Constitution. ................................................................................................................. 11 II. Marion Wilson May Not Be Executed Because He Did Not Kill, Attempt to Kill, or Intend to Kill Donovan Parks, and His Involvement in the Events Leading Up to the Murder Was Not Active, Recklessly Indifferent, or Substantial. ................................................................................................................... 14 I. The Georgia Courts Should Not Be Permitted to Thwart Review of Mr. Wilson’s Constitutional Claims for Relief. .................................................................. 21 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 26 ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Federal Cases Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002) ........................................................................................ 15 Beard v. Kindler, 558 U.S. 53 (2009) ........................................................................................... 26 Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78 (1935) ................................................................................ 13 Bradshaw v. Stumpf, 545 U.S. 175 (2005) .................................................................................... 13 Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) ................................................................................. 12, 13 Cabana v. Bullock, 474 U.S. 376 (1986) ................................................................................ 16, 18 Coker v. Georgia, 433 U.S. 584 (1977) ............................................................................ 15, 16, 18 Conner v. Hall, 645 F.3d 1277 (11th Cir. 2011)..................................................................... 21, 25 Darden v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 168 (1986) ................................................................................ 13 Davis v. Wechsler, 263 U.S. 22 (1923) ......................................................................................... 25 Donnelly v. DeChristoforo, 416 U.S. 637 (1974) ......................................................................... 12 Enmund v. Florida, 458 U.S. 782 (1982) .............................................................................. passim Ford v. Georgia, 498 U.S. 411 (1991) .......................................................................................... 25 Giglio v. U.S., 405 U.S. 150 (1972) .................................................................................. 12, 14, 23 Green v. Georgia, 442 U.S. 95 (1979) .......................................................................................... 12 Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) ....................................................................................... 12 James v. Kentucky, 466 U.S. 341 (1984) ...................................................................................... 25 Johnson v. Mississippi, 486 U.S. 578 (1988) ................................................................................ 12 Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407 (2008) ................................................................................. 16 Lee v. Kemna, 534 U.S. 362 (2002) .............................................................................................. 25 Miller v. Pate, 386 U.S. 1 (1967) ............................................................................................ 13, 22 iii Mooney v. Holohan, 294 U.S. 103 (1935) .................................................................................... 12 Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 691 (1975) ............................................................................. 25 Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (1959) ....................................................................... 12, 14, 22, 23 Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005) ................................................................................. 15, 16 Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) ........................................................................... 10 Tison v. Arizona, 481 U.S. 137 (1987) ............................................................................. 16, 18, 19 Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 86 (1958) ......................................................................................... 14, 20 Turner v. State, 267 Ga. 149 (1996) ............................................................................................... 4 U.S. v. Alzate, 47 F.3d 1103 (11th Cir. 1995) ............................................................................... 14 U.S. v. Bigeleisen, 625 F.2d 203 (8th Cir. 1980) .......................................................................... 14 Walker v. Martin, 562 U.S. 307 (2011) ........................................................................................ 26 Williams v. Georgia, 349 U.S. 375 (1955) ................................................................................... 26 Wilson v. Georgia, 531 U.S. 838 (2000)....................................................................................... 10 Wilson v. Humphrey, No. 5:10-CV-489, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178241 (M.D. Ga. Dec. 19, 2013) ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Wilson v. Sellers, 138 S. Ct. 1188 (2018) ..................................................................................... 11 Wilson v. Terry, 562 U.S. 1093 (2010) ......................................................................................... 10 Wilson v. Warden, 774 F.3d 671 (11th Cir. 2014) ........................................................................ 10 Wilson v. Warden, 834 F.3d 1227 (11th Cir. 2016) ...................................................................... 11 Wilson v. Warden, 898 F.3d 1314, 1316 (11th Cir. 2018) ............................................................ 11 State Cases Alexander v. State, 270 Ga. 346 (1998) ........................................................................................ 22 Bruce v. Smith, 274 Ga. 432 (2001) .............................................................................................. 24 iv Butts v. Hall, Butts Co. Superior Court Case No. 2002-V-638 ............................................ 3, 9, 14 Butts v. State, 273 Ga. 760, 771 (2001) .................................................................................... 8, 13 Hammock v.