11 September 2018 :

The Louisiana Supreme Court has thrown out the guilty verdict and death penalty sentence for Brian Horn after his lawyer conceded—over Horn's explicit objection—that Horn had murdered and also may have molested a 12-year-old boy. The court based its ruling on the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year in McCoy v. Louisiana, declaring that such concessions violate a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel. The high court overturned the DeSoto Parish jury's April 2, 2014 unanimous decision to convict Horn in the March 2010 death of Justin Bloxom and remanded the case back to DeSoto Parish Court for a new trial. Horn appealed his conviction and sentence with the Supreme Court in January, citing some 70 errors. A press release issued today from the Louisiana Supreme Court states: "Finding merit in defendant's assignment of error asserting a violation of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, we vacate defendant's conviction and sentence and remand this matter to the district court for a new trial. Defendant's conviction and sentence are vacated; remanded to the district court for a new trial".