House v. Bell

House (defendant) was convicted of capital murder based substantially on blood, semen, and physical evidence, and sentenced to death after the state presented his prior sexual-assault conviction and the rape-murder circumstances as aggravating factors; he sought federal habeas relief on claims procedurally defaulted in state court, presenting new evidence suggesting the victim's husband committed the murder and that the blood evidence had been contaminated. The district court held a full evidentiary hearing, found House's witnesses not credible but also found the blood evidence wasn't contaminated until after testing, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.