California Supreme Court Overturns Scott Peterson's Death Sentence for the Premeditated Murder of His Wife and Her Unborn Child

Throw open all the prisons; decriminalize crime.

Your Democrat/NeverTrump fusion party at work.

The California Supreme Court on Monday overturned the death penalty for Scott Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife, Laci, in 2002 and their unborn son.

In a decision written by Justice Leondra Kruger, the state's highest court said the death sentence must be removed because the trial judge wrongly discharged prospective jurors who expressed opposition to capital punishment but said they would be willing to impose it.

"Before the trial began, the trial court made a series of clear and significant errors in jury selection that, under long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent, undermined Peterson's right to an impartial jury at the penalty phase," Kruger wrote.

"While a court may dismiss a prospective juror as unqualified to sit on a capital case if the juror's views on capital punishment would substantially impair his or her ability to follow the law, a juror may not be dismissed merely because he or she has expressed opposition to the death penalty as a general matter," the court said.

posted by Ace at 02:47 PM

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