TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

U.S. Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence of Tennessee Inmate

Posted by: Kate Prince on Mar 30, 2021
News Type: U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday reinstated the death sentence of Tennessee inmate Anthony Hines, reversing a lower court decision that Hines had received inadequate defense counsel, The Hill reports. Hines was convicted of the 1985 murder of a maid, but was granted a new trial by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit last year. The appeals court ruled that Hines’ lawyer had failed to advance an alternative legal theory that pinned the murder on another man. SCOTUS reversed that ruling in an 8-1 decision, which found that any shortcomings in Hines’ defense failed to clear the high legal hurdle needed to set aside his conviction. The justices also ruled that the 6th Circuit failed to take into account evidence supporting Hines’ guilt, including “His flight in a bloody shirt; his possession of the victim’s keys, wallet, and car; his recurring association with knives; or his ever-changing stories about tussling with imaginary assailants.”      

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