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USA - Ohio. Court overturns Odraye Jones' death sentence
August 23, 2022: Court overturns Odraye Jones' death sentence
Odraye G. Jones, convicted of murdering a police officer 25 years ago, had his death sentence revoked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday.
3 judges decided Jones’ sentence was negatively influenced by what they called a racist statement made by a clinical psychologist at the penalty phase of his trial.
Jones’ trial counsel presented testimony from a clinical psychologist who diagnosed him with anti-social personality disorder.
The psychologist testified that Black men with this disorder (including Jones) would commit more murders. He said about 1 in 4 “African-American urban males” suffered from the disorder, and the only treatment for them was to “throw them away, lock them up,” according to Judge Richard Allen Griffin, one of three on the panel.
After hearing this testimony at Jones’ hearing, the Ashtabula County jury recommended the death penalty. The court accepted the recommendation and sentenced Jones to death.
In the decision, Griffin argued that Jones deserves a new sentencing hearing after his original hearing was marred by “racialized testimony.” Griffin concluded Jones might have received a lesser sentence if the psychologist’s testimony had not been introduced.
A federal public defender from Pittsburgh represented Jones in the appeal, while an attorney from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in Columbus represented the state.
Jones, now 46, has been on death row at a Chillicothe prison since 1998. An execution date has not been scheduled.
A jury found him guilty in the shooting death of Police Officer William D. Glover Jr., who was shot twice in the head and once in the shoulder on Nov. 17, 1997.
https://www.starbeacon.com/news/local_news/court-overturns-convicted-cop-killer-odraye-jones-death-sentence/article_0e2886ac-23ca-11ed-910f-cfba996909c9.html
https://www.rawstory.com/sentence-commuted/ (Source: Star Beacon, 23/08/2022)
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