Entries tagged with “Lawrence Jefferson”
Policy Issues
Mental Illness
,Oct 22, 2019
After U.S. Supreme Court Orders Further Review, Federal Appeals Court Overturns Death Sentences of Two Brain Damaged Prisoners
A federal appeals court has overturned the death sentences imposed on two brain damaged death-row prisoners in cases separately sent back for further review by the U.S. Supreme Court. On October 15, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ordered a new sentencing hearing for Alabama death-row prisoner James McWilliams. Two days later, another three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit…
Policy Issues
Mental Illness
,Representation
,May 08, 2017
After Remand from U.S. Supreme Court, Georgia Federal Court Vacates Brain-Damaged Prisoner’s Death Sentence
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has overturned the death sentence imposed on Lawrence Jefferson, saying that his trial counsel had been ineffective for failing to investigate and present available mitigating evidence in his case, including evidence related to “a head injury he sustained as a child when an automobile rolled over his head.” The court also found that the state courts had denied Jefferson a “full and fair” hearing on…