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Looks can kill

By Michael Blankenship

"This is the condition where the death penalty was meant to be applied. The crime was so heinous, and there was so little remorse shown on the part of the defendant. He sat there with such a blank look," the juror said. "The guy continued to stare straight ahead like he was watching a movie. There was just nothing." Read more... The above comments were made by one of the jurors in the Hayes capital case in Connecticut. The 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides protection against self-incrimination. The attorneys in this case followed the standard pattern of not allowing their client to testify. That is usually a pretty good strategy as defendants are apt to say or do something that is prejudicial to their case.  On the other hand, the failure of the defendant to testify can sometimes result in a conviction, or in this case, a death sentence...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Justice Gambit on November 09, 2010 (boomark / email).