With the execution of Patrick Hannon earlier this month, the State of Florida has completed its execution schedule for 2017.
Lenamon Victory in James Bannister Trial
Terence Lenamon has just successfully defeated attempts by prosecutors to get the death penalty in two capital cases this fall. In both the James Bannister and William Wells prosecutions, the juries came back with verdicts imposing life without parole.
Not death.
What swayed the jury in the Bannister case? We’ll share Terry’s closing argument here on the blog and in his online library in a future post. (Read his argument in Wells here.)
2018 Florida Capital Punishment Prosecutions
Right now, there are no executions scheduled by the State of Florida for 2018 (most executions already on the calendar are in Ohio, some in Texas).
And there’s a lot of people watching what will happen if SCOTUS decides to hear Hidalgo v. Arizona, because it might bring all death penalty prosecutions to a halt in this country in a similar manner to Furman years ago.
Doesn’t change things for capital defense today. Prosecutors are going to seek death in capital cases and death warrants will be issued next year.
Consider this: a man has been arrested and accused of being a serial killer over in Tampa today. Prosecutors are telling the press this afternoon they will seek the death penalty in this case.
Hopefully Terry gets a much needed respite over the holidays — because he’s going to be very busy again next year, fighting to keep people from being killed by the state.