The outcome of the case is important not only for John Montenegro Cruz, but also for other inmates on death row in Arizona who are in the same situation.
By Jessica Greeks The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A lawyer for a man on Arizona’s death row told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that jurors in the case were wrongly told that a death sentence was the only way to ensure he would never walk free.
Cruz's lawyer, Neal Katyal, says efforts to tell the jury that Cruz was not parole-eligible were rejected. Arizona says Cruz failed to make the precise requests he needed to under Supreme Court precedent. Cruz was convicted of the 2003 murder of Tucson police officer Patrick Hardesty. Hardesty and another officer were investigating a hit-and-run crash that led them to Cruz, who attempted to flee and shot Hardesty five times.
“It sounds like you're thumbing your nose at us,” Justice Elena Kagan told lawyer Joseph Kanefield, who argued for Arizona.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SCOTUS hears death sentence arguments for John Montenegro CruzA lawyer for John Montenegro Cruz, on death row for the 2003 murder of TPD officer Patrick Hardesty, told the U.S. Supreme Court that jurors were wrongly told to sentence him to death.
Read more »
Florida Bar weighing investigation into Nikolas Cruz lawyer after she flipped off cameras, laughedTamara Curtis, one of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's lawyers, is facing an investigation by the Florida Bar after she was seen flipping off cameras.
Read more »
Santa Cruz hospital responds to worst-case scenario after hoaxWhile a massive law enforcement presence converged on the Santa Cruz High School campus last week for what turned out to be a hoax school shooting report, a similar response played out at an emerge…
Read more »