Finn

MEMORANDUM **

On June 22, 1981, Nathaniel Williams pleaded guilty in California state court to first-degree murder, and on January 6, 1982, he was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison. He took no direct appeal, and more than thirteen years passed. On May 4, 1995, Williams filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, which the trial court denied that same day. On July 30, 1996, and again on November 6, 1996, he petitioned the trial court for a certificate of probable cause, attempting to take a delayed appeal of his then fourteen-year-old conviction. The trial court denied his petitions on November 27, 1996. Williams filed a petition for writ of mandate with the California Court of Appeal on March 18, 1997, which was denied on April 10, 1997. The ten-day period for appealing to the California Supreme Court expired on April 20, 1997, with Williams filing no appeal.

Williams filed his first state habeas corpus petition with the trial court on December 18,1997, and it was denied on January 27, 1998. He filed a second state habeas corpus petition with the trial court on September 17, 1998, and it was denied on November 24, 1998. Williams then petitioned the California…