Rodney Tipton v. State of Tennessee

The Appellant, Rodney Lee Tipton, proceeding pro se, appeals from the dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. Tipton was convicted by a Blount County jury of aggravated rape and aggravated robbery and received an effective thirty-three year sentence in the Department of Correction. On appeal, Tipton argues that he should receive a new trial based upon the following grounds: (1) the State’s refusal to respond to his discovery requests, and the post-conviction court’s failure to address his motion to compel discovery; (2) denial of the right to represent himself at his post-conviction hearing; (3) denial of his right to testify at trial; (4) ineffective assistance of counsel; (5) prosecutorial misconduct; (6) actual innocence; (7) the cumulative effect of all errors; and (8) the post-conviction court’s failure to enter specific findings of fact and conclusions of law. After a review of the record, we affirm the dismissal of Tipton’s petition for post-conviction relief.