What the Appeals Court Said the Jury Had Heard

By Mrs. Eileen Hunter — about the author.

Affirming the conviction on June 29, 2005, the Louisiana Second Circuit wrote that the jury had heard, “in great detail, the prior convictions and sentences of the inmate witnesses and, likewise… the possibility for favorable treatment the inmates might receive by testifying.” The same opinion called the informants’ testimony “the evidence that directly linked Tony Hunter with the crime.” State v. Hunter, 39,664 (La. App. 2 Cir. 6/29/05); 907 So. 2d 200, 204. (Procedural history.)

The filings since then allege the jury heard less than that. The application filed March 26, 2026 alleges that Vaccara Comanche testified he had been promised nothing (ROA. 1946) while a habitual-offender bill filed against him on April 15, 2002 was dismissed on November 25, 2002 — thirty-nine days after Mr. Hunter’s indictment — and never used (clerk’s minutes, Nos. 2000-F-1473, -1474; the 39 days); the Motion to Supplement filed April 20, 2026 says his criminal history shows four felony convictions where he was called a two-time offender. The 2022 application reports that Clarence Kennedy’s pending burglary charge was dismissed by plea on February 13, 2002 and was presented to the jury as a conviction. Trial transcript at 592, 605. Each of these is an allegation in a filing; none has been ruled on the merits. (The Comanche file · the Kennedy file.)

The other half: the Second Circuit’s holding stands, and the Louisiana Supreme Court denied writs on March 10, 2006. 925 So. 2d 507. The district court dismissed the 2026 application on April 29, 2026 on procedural grounds and as duplicative — not on the merits — and the supervisory writ filed July 9, 2026 is pending. No court has found that any of this evidence was withheld from the jury. (The writ application.)