Death Penalty

Witnesses testify to prior threats by man who murdered DA’s wife, as jury mulls death penalty

The prosecution has rested in the penalty phase of Eric Lyle Williams’ murder trial, after presenting witnesses who testified about his history of violent threats years before he shot to death a Texas district attorney’s wife. Janice Gray said she dated Williams some 20 years ago, when both were working…

Dec 12, 2014 4:20 PM CST

Inmate is executed after SCOTUS denies stay; lawyers cited mental disability, alcoholic trial lawyer

A Georgia death-row inmate was executed Tuesday evening after the U.S. Supreme Court refused a stay to consider arguments related to intellectual disability. Robert Wayne Holsey, 49, was executed for killing a deputy sheriff after robbing a convenience store, report the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today.…

Dec 10, 2014 9:32 AM CST

Death-row inmate’s mental disability claim gets SCOTUS review

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the procedure used to decide whether a death-row inmate is ineligible for execution due to mental disability. The court granted cert on Friday in the case of Kevan Brumfield, convicted in the 1993 fatal shooting of an off-duty police officer in Baton…

Dec 8, 2014 9:03 AM CST

5th Circuit stays execution; lawyers cite inmate’s paranoia, odd behavior

A federal appeals court on Wednesday stayed the execution of Texas death-row inmate Scott Panetti to consider claims that he is incompetent for execution. The order (PDF) by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the stay was issued to “fully consider the late arriving and complex…

Dec 4, 2014 10:38 AM CST

Judge says investigative files for ‘In Cold Blood’ murders can be published by investigator’s son

In 2012, a Kansas judge ruled that records kept by a man who investigated the murder of four family members portrayed in a famous Truman Capote book could not be published, sold or used as the basis for a book. But Shawnee County District Court Judge Larry Hendricks has since…

Dec 1, 2014 5:20 PM CST

Dozens of lawyers have missed habeas deadlines, resulting in just one sanction

Lawyers in at least 80 habeas appeals have missed a filing deadline, yet only one has only been sanctioned by disciplinary authorities—in the form of a simple censure. The Marshall Project, a new nonprofit news organization, covered the issue in a two-part story here and here. Its investigation found that…

Nov 18, 2014 6:15 AM CST

ABA president asks Texas governor for stay to consider inmate’s competence for execution

ABA President William C. Hubbard is asking the governor of Texas to stay the execution of a death row inmate to allow for a court evaluation of the prisoner’s mental health. “The American Bar Association is greatly concerned that Texas is poised to execute Scott Panetti, a man who has…

Nov 13, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Murder defendant loses jail cell computer over claims he worked on other inmates’ cases

After firing his lawyers and taking on his own defense in a capital murder case earlier this year, James Calvert argued that the prison law library was inadequate and persuaded a Texas judge to provide a laptop computer in his jail cell. Calvert, who once was employed by law firms…

Nov 10, 2014 11:50 AM CST

Appeals court stays secret witness testimony at Jodi Arias capital murder case resentencing

On Thursday, a judge presiding over the resentencing of Jodi Arias in a highly publicized capital murder case allowed secret witness testimony. By Monday, media organizations, including the Arizona Republic, had obtained an order from the Arizona Court of Appeals nixing the practice. It prohibits Maricopa Superior Judge Sherry Stephens…

Nov 4, 2014 3:35 PM CST

Inmate on death row for fatal 1992 divorce-court shooting rampage dies of natural causes

Kenneth Baumruk wasn’t able to overturn his death sentence for fatally shooting his wife and firing at the judge, lawyers for both sides and others in the vicinity of a Missouri divorce court hearing more than 20 years ago. But the former aerospace technician has avoided capital punishment by dying…

Nov 4, 2014 1:35 PM CST

Lawyers for death-row inmate say they learned of execution date in news article

Lawyers for a death-row inmate who represented himself at trial dressed in a purple cowboy suit say they learned of his execution date in a newspaper article. An emergency motion for a hearing filed on behalf of Texas inmate Scott Panetti says his lawyers learned of the Dec. 3 execution…

Nov 4, 2014 7:22 AM CST

Judge OKs secret witness testimony in closed courtroom during Jodi Arias murder resentencing

For reasons that are not yet clear, an Arizona judge has OK’d closed-courtroom testimony by a secret witness during the resentencing of convicted murderer Jodi Arias. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens said her ruling was required for “the administration of justice” in the capital case, the Associated Press…

Oct 30, 2014 5:20 PM CDT

Jodi Arias juror is dismissed after asking a reporter this question

A juror in the sentencing retrial of Jodi Arias was dismissed on Wednesday after approaching a journalist and asking whether she is Nancy Grace, who hosts a legal show on CNN. The juror was the second to be dismissed in the Maricopa County, Arizona, sentencing retrial, report the Arizona Republic…

Oct 23, 2014 7:17 AM CDT

Judge threatens to remove capital defense lawyer, cites missed deadlines and overzealous motions

A federal judge in Boston told a capital defense lawyer on Tuesday that she had ruined her credibility and that he might sanction her or remove her from the case. Senior U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf said lawyer Danalynn Recer had missed deadlines and violated an order to refrain from…

Sep 25, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

In prison for 30 years, Belgian inmate wins OK for assisted suicide

A convicted murderer and rapist in Belgium who says he is a danger to society has won approval for an assisted suicide. Frank Van Den Bleeken will be the first detainee in Belgium who won the right to euthanasia for psychological reasons, the Associated Press reports. At least 15 other…

Sep 17, 2014 1:21 PM CDT