Ramazzini

MEMORANDUM **

A California jury convicted the petitioner, Nathan Ramazzini, of first-degree murder after he confessed to participating in the killing of Erik Ingebretsen. Ramazzini appealed, claiming that his confession was involuntary because police had threatened him with the death penalty. The California Court of Appeal rejected his appeal, finding that there was “no direct threat.” After the California Supreme Court summarily denied review, Ramazzini filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the District Court for the Eastern District of California.

The district court rejected the state court’s reading of the factual record as “neither grammatically nor inferentially correct.” Finding that Ramazzini had been threatened with the death penalty, the district court held that his confession was involuntary and granted his habeas petition.

We review the district court’s decision to grant habeas corpus relief de novo. Lambert v. Blodgett, 393 F.3d 943, 964 (9th Cir.2004). Under AEDPA, that relief may not be granted unless the State court proceedings “resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the…