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Court Overturns Death Sentence Of Ohio Killer Of Three
By: Associated Press
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A divided Ohio Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence of a man condemned for killing three people in a 1996 Youngstown bar robbery.
At issue in the court's 4-3 decision Wednesday was the lack of evidence presented at sentencing about defendant Willie Herring's chaotic childhood.
Justice Paul Pfeifer, writing for the majority, said Herring's lawyers did a poor job investigating his background before sentencing. The court's decision sent the case back to Mahoning County court for resentencing.
Justice Terrence O'Donnell, writing for the minority, said Herring's lawyers adopted a specific trial strategy and he didn't think a different approach would have changed the outcome.
The 34-year-old Herring received the death penalty for the triple slaying at the Newport Inn on April 30, 1996.