|
|
| High Court Emphasizes Parole Ruling |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/21/2002 |
|
Jurors choosing whether to sentence a killer to death or to life in prison must be told if the defendant would have no chance for parole under a life sentence, a narrowly divided Supreme Court ruled recently. The court ruled 5-4 that jurors at the 1996 trial of a South Carolina killer should have known that if sentenced to life in prison, William Kelly never would be released. The jury chose death for a kidnapping, armed robbery and killing that the prosecutor called butchery. In similar cases in 1994 and 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that defendants ineligible for parole have the constitutional right to inform the jury. Jurors presumably would feel more comfortable imposing a life term if they knew the convicted killer before them would remain behind bars. Since the Supreme Court allowed states to reinstate the death penalty in 1973, courts have ordered the release of 99 wrongly convicted Death Row inmates. Earlier, O'Connor said it may be appropriate to require that lawyers handling death cases meet minimum standards for competency. The case is Kelly v. South Carolina, 00-9280. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Hiring an attorney can present confusing situations for someone. It’s hard to tell whether you’ll get the best service possible in your situation. You likely have a lot of questions. Will your lawyer hand off your matter to someone else? Will your lawyer return your phone calls? It’s hard to know without someone you can trust. If you been Waco work injury lawyer you need a lawyer. People in Central Texas have trusted Dunnam & Dunnam for almost 100 years for their most pressing legal concerns. They understand the value of a good advocate. They’re a family helping Waco families since 1925.