Roach

MEMORANDUM **

Rodney Carl Roach appeals from the district court’s denial of his application for a writ of habeas corpus. In 1999, a jury convicted Roach of six counts of bank robbery under California law. Sentenced under California’s Three Strikes Law, he is currently serving a sentence of 150 years to life.

On the morning of his arrest, Roach had injected % gram of heroin. He was arrested around noon that day and taken to the sheriffs department for questioning, which commenced after 3:00 p.m. He confessed to six bank robberies and identified himself in several bank surveillance photographs. At several points during the interrogation, Roach manifested discomfort due to withdrawal symptoms.

Roach moved to exclude his confession on the grounds that it was involuntary due to heroin withdrawal. An addiction expert testified at the hearing on the motion to exclude that, while Roach exhibited several signs of heroin withdrawal, he did not see any evidence that it was severe. The confession was admitted over Roach’s objection and he was subsequently convicted. He exhausted his state appeals and filed this habeas petition.

The district court’s decision to deny a 28 U.S.C. § 2254…