Prosecutors from Middlesex County, New Jersey, have decided to adhere to the wishes of the victim’s family and will not seek the death penalty against Dwayne Carreker of New Brunswick at his retrial. They will instead seek a sentence of life in prison. “The victim’s mother has said she is more interested in justice and closure than she is with the death penalty,” said First Assistant Prosecutor William Lamb. Lamb noted that his office considered the victim’s family’s wishes and the result of the first trial against Carreker when deciding whether to proceed with a capital trial. Carreker’s first trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. The state was forced to reconsider its initial decision to seek the death penalty when the New Jersey Supreme Court recently ruled that such a decision must be reviewed by a grand jury. (Courier News, February 6, 2004) See Victims and the Death Penalty and DPIC’s Ring v. Arizona page. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Ring led to the NJ decision requiring grand jury review.
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Prosecutors Drop Death Penalty As Victims’ Mother Seeks Closure
By Death Penalty Information Center
Posted on Feb 09, 2004 | Updated on Sep 25, 2024
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