Chambers

BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

In 1994, Chambers was convicted of first degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon by a jury in a Nevada state trial court, and Chambers was sentenced to death.

The charges and conviction arose out of an altercation between Chambers, a chef by profession, and Henry Chacon 16148 CHAMBERS v. MCDANIEL on September 28, 1993. Chambers met Chacon while travel- ing by bus from San Francisco to Reno. While on the bus, Chambers and Chacon became acquainted and ingested alco- hol and cocaine together. Upon arriving in Reno, they rented a hotel room to share in the Circus Circus casino and hotel. Chambers and Chacon went to the room together, but Cham- bers subsequently went downstairs and played poker. When he returned to the room, he found Chacon burning heroin to smoke on Chamber’s set of professional chef knives. When Chambers saw this, he became angry, and the two began to fight. According to Chambers, Chacon initially stabbed Chambers with a knife, but Chambers got the knife away from Chacon. A struggle ensued, which resulted in Chacon’s death.

The morning after the fight, Chambers went to the Washoe Medical Center. When asked…