William Lyle WORATZECK, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Terry STEWART, Director, Department of Corrections, Respondent-Appellee

Woratzeek, an Arizona state prisoner sentenced to death, appeals from the district court’s denial of his petition for writ of habe-as corpus. The district court had jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 . We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 2253, and we affirm.

I

Linda Louise Leslie was a 36-year-old woman who was physically and mentally disabled due to Huntington’s disease. She lived in Casa Grande, Arizona, in a trailer located in a small trailer park being purchased by Woratzeek from Leslie’s aunt, Medina, and Medina’s brother. Although Leslie received day-to-day assistance from several friends, Medina made the monthly rental payments to Woratzeek for Leslie’s trailer. In February 1980, Woratzeek fell over $2,000 behind in his payments to the Medinas for the trailer park property, and Medina therefore withheld payment of the February rent on Leslie’s trailer.

On March 6, 1980, Leslie was killed inside her trailer and approximately $107 was taken from her. The medical examiner testified that the assailant stabbed Leslie three times in the chest and abdomen, strangled her, and delivered two devastating blows to her head. Her trailer was then lit on…