TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 6, 2023

A Tennessee man on death row, who was forced to act as his own lawyer, is seeking a new trial, claiming multiple violations of his constitutional rights, the Times News reports. Howard Willis went through nine lawyers before a judge ruled that he would have to represent himself, accusing him of creating conflict with counsel to avoid a trial. Willis was sentenced to death in 2010 for the murders of teenage newlyweds. In his bid for a new trial, Willis claims the original trial was unfair because he was forced to act as his own attorney and could not afford sufficient resources to defend himself. A hearing on Willis’ petition for post-conviction relief started today in Washington County Criminal Court.