Supreme Court cites juror's racism in death penalty reprieve

SummerMadness

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Supreme Court cites juror's racism in death penalty reprieve
The Supreme Court gave a death row prisoner in Georgia hope for a different fate Monday because of a juror's racist comments.

The court ruled 6-3 that convicted murderer Keith Tharpe deserved another chance in federal court to prove that his death sentence was tainted by the white juror's reference to Tharpe as a n-word and other racist remarks.
 

Liza B.

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Dave-W

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Hmmm. I wonder how he even got seated on the jury. He should have been eliminated before the trial even started.

Unless the case was an evidence slam dunk, they should have thrown out the conviction as well.
 
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Ana the Ist

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Hmmm. I wonder how he even got seated on the jury. He should have been eliminated before the trial even started.

Unless the case was an evidence slam dunk, they should have thrown out the conviction as well.


Well here's the state summary of his crime lol...

"Tharpe’s wife left him on August 28, 1990 and moved in with her mother. Following various threats of violence made by the defendant to and about his wife and her family, a peace warrant was taken out against him, and the defendant was ordered not to have any contact with his wife or her family. Notwithstanding this order, Tharpe called his wife on September 24, 1990 and argued with her, saying if she wanted to “play dirty,” he would show her “what dirty was.”

On the morning of the 25th, his wife and her sister-in-law met Tharpe as they drove to work. He used his vehicle to block theirs and force them to stop. He got out of his vehicle, armed with a shotgun and apparently under the influence of drugs, and ordered them out of their vehicle. He then took his sister-in-law to the rear of his vehicle, where he shot her. He rolled her into a ditch, reloaded, and shot her again, killing her.

Tharpe then drove away with his wife. After unsuccessfully trying to rent a motel room, Tharpe parked by the side of the road and raped his wife. Afterward, he drove to Macon, where his wife was to obtain money from her credit union. Instead she called the police."

Racist slurs notwithstanding...I'm not gonna shed any tears when they execute this guy.
 
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Ana the Ist

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Lol he said "throw out the conviction!"

"Mr Tharpe, we've got you cold on murder, rape, kidnapping, attempted theft, violent threats, and violation of a restraining order, apparently all on one drug and shotgun fueled afternoon...but someone heard a juror call you the "n-word" so...you're free to go, sorry to trouble you."
 
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