Thomas v. Arn

Petitioner, Kathy Thomas, seeks a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241 for post conviction relief from her Ohio murder conviction for the death of her common law husband, Reuben Daniels. At her trial, Thomas alleged that she shot him in self defense. The evidence at trial established that the decedent was a violent man who had beaten Thomas on a number of occasions, including just before the shooting. In support of her defense, Thomas attempted to offer the testimony of a social worker as an expert witness on "battered wife syndrome." The trial court voir dired the witness, found him unqualified, and held his testimony inadmissible.