Supreme Court Decision May Reverse Death Row Sentence

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Arizona death row inmate.

The inmate, John Montenegro Cruz was convicted of murder in 2003 but is arguing that he should be allowed to present a new case because the jury that convicted him was not informed that he would be ineligible for parole should they give him a life sentence.

"John Montenegro Cruz had been convicted of murder in 2003. His attorneys at the time attempted to inform the jury that were he handed a life sentence, he would not be eligible for a parole. Yet the presiding judge would not allow the jury to learn that information," reports JustTheNews.

"Cruz subsequently argued that he should be given a new trial under the auspices of the 1994 Supreme Court decision Simmons v. South Carolina, which held that death penalty defendants have a right to inform the jury of their ineligibility for parole if they are given a life sentence," reported JustTheNews.

The Supreme Court ruled in Cruz's favor, saying that subsequent precedent has re-affirmed his trial rights under Simmons.

The ruling says that Cruz's case will be remanded for further proceedings.

Source: JustTheNews