Appellate justices say Jordan Harp case must be remanded after state concedes post-conviction hearing was incomplete

At oral argument before justices, attorneys for both sides agreed the post-conviction court improperly limited evidence in petitioner Jordan Harp’s case, and the court indicated it will remand the matter for a full hearing.

Lance Chisholm, an attorney from Shelby County representing petitioner Jordan Harp, told the panel that the post-conviction court prevented him from calling Harp to testify and barred testimony from detectives and officers he had subpoenaed. "A full and fair hearing requires opportunity to present proof and argument," Chisholm said, citing Stokes v. State and related precedents.

Chisholm summarized the underlying case facts: Harp pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 40-year sentence (concurrent with 25 years on related charges) after charges initially included first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. Chisholm said Harp made a number of…