Two Mississippi Death Sentences Tossed: The Clarion Ledger (MS) reports on two overturned death sentences in Mississippi this week. In one case, the Fifth Circuit upheld a finding that William Wiley, convicted in 1982 of murdering a store owner, was mentally retarded and could not be executed. In the second case, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed the death sentence of Kristi Fulgham, convicted of murdering her husband, based on the trial court's exclusion during the penalty phase of a social worker's mitigating testimony.
Different Portraits of Steven Hayes: The New York Times has this story about the two versions of Steven Hayes presented to a Connecticut jury, who must decide on a life or death sentence for the convicted murder. Hayes's defense team has attempted to portray him as a troubled man with an abusive childhood, who got caught up with an evil person (co-conspirator Joshua Komisarjevsky), and now feels extreme remorse for his crimes. The prosecution has countered with letters from Hayes's younger brother, characterizing Hayes as manipulative and recounting childhood memories of torture at the hands of his older brother. A psychiatrist also testified that Hayes admitted to strangling and raping Mrs. Hawke-Petit after flying into a rage when police arrived at the Petit house. The AP has more here.
Police Chief's Fourth Amendment Rights Violated: In an ironic role reversal, a Montana police chief this week succeeded in suppressing evidence found during a search of his home. Last summer, a sheriff deputy obtained a search warrant to investigate possible marijuana plants growing on Poplar Police Chief Chad Hilde's land and discovered eight plants growing in a barn. When Hilde was charged with production and possession of dangerous drugs, he argued he was letting a friend use the building to legally grow medical marijuana. A state court judge tossed the warrant, concluding the police likely knew Hilde wasn't personally involved in criminal activity and that failing to disclose this knowledge when applying for the warrant "undermine[d] due process." The Billings Gazette (MT) has this story.
Different Portraits of Steven Hayes: The New York Times has this story about the two versions of Steven Hayes presented to a Connecticut jury, who must decide on a life or death sentence for the convicted murder. Hayes's defense team has attempted to portray him as a troubled man with an abusive childhood, who got caught up with an evil person (co-conspirator Joshua Komisarjevsky), and now feels extreme remorse for his crimes. The prosecution has countered with letters from Hayes's younger brother, characterizing Hayes as manipulative and recounting childhood memories of torture at the hands of his older brother. A psychiatrist also testified that Hayes admitted to strangling and raping Mrs. Hawke-Petit after flying into a rage when police arrived at the Petit house. The AP has more here.
Police Chief's Fourth Amendment Rights Violated: In an ironic role reversal, a Montana police chief this week succeeded in suppressing evidence found during a search of his home. Last summer, a sheriff deputy obtained a search warrant to investigate possible marijuana plants growing on Poplar Police Chief Chad Hilde's land and discovered eight plants growing in a barn. When Hilde was charged with production and possession of dangerous drugs, he argued he was letting a friend use the building to legally grow medical marijuana. A state court judge tossed the warrant, concluding the police likely knew Hilde wasn't personally involved in criminal activity and that failing to disclose this knowledge when applying for the warrant "undermine[d] due process." The Billings Gazette (MT) has this story.
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