Louisiana Governor Refuses Clemency for Death Row Inmate Wessinger; Federal Judge Denies Stay Request
A Louisiana death row inmate's path to avoiding execution narrowed this week as a federal judge denied a request to reconsider his sentence and Governor Jeff Landry said he would not consider clemency, according to the Shreveport-Bossier Advocate. Todd Wessinger was convicted of killing two former restaurant coworkers in Baton Rouge in 1995.
Wessinger's attorneys filed a request on Monday with the state Board of Pardons to recommend that the governor amend his sentence to life without parole. Landry wrote on Tuesday that there will be no clemency for Wessinger and that the state stands with the victims and their families.
Also on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John deGravelles of the Middle District of Louisiana denied Wessinger's plea to halt his execution, rejecting an ineffective-counsel argument, after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a previous ruling in Wessinger's favor. His attorneys have also requested a new penalty phase in state court based on a 2014 brain scan they say shows a childhood stroke affecting decision-making and impulse control. Federal public defender Christie Gibbens said the legal team will keep seeking remedies.
(Source: Reporting by the Shreveport-Bossier Advocate)
Source: Reporting by the Shreveport-Bossier Advocate
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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