The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a man sentenced to death in Georgia is due a new trial after it was disclosed that the jurors had celebrated the sentence by sending a chocolate penis to the judge and a chocolate pair of female breasts to the bailiff.
In 2009, Marcus Wellons was convicted of rape and murder in a Georgia state court. Although finding the trial "typical" on the surface, the Supreme Court stated that "unusual events" were going on behind the scene.
Only after Wellons' trial and sentencing, did his defense attorneys learn that there had been unreported contact between members of the jury and the trial judge, during which they planned a reunion and that "either during or immediately following the penalty phase," some of the jury members gifted the judge and bailiff with the chocolate penis and female breasts.
In its majority opinion, the Supreme Court wrote, "From beginning to end, judicial proceedings conducted for the purpose of deciding whether a defendant shall be put to death must be conducted with dignity and respect."
Also See:
Legal History of the Death Penalty in America
Supreme Court Backs Religious Rights of Prisoners
Voting Rights for Felons Coming?
Comments
The story is revolting, and I’m glad to hear the Supreme Court did the right thing. How many dissents were there? (Don’t want to download the PDF just to find out.)
Hi Marcia — Scalia and Alito wrote dissenting opinions.
Robert
Unbelievable. Hurrah for the Supreme Court! Are there going to be any sanctions for the trial judge?
What a perfectly ignorant thing to do!