A US district court wrongly granted habeas corpus relief to a man sentenced to death for his rape and murder convictions, the Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday.
James Robert Scott was initially convicted for first-degree murder in the 1986 rape and killing of Wanda Jensen. He’d previously pleaded guilty to rape and attempted murder after brutally beating her, setting her on fire and leaving her for dead. Jensen survived for 10 months before succumbing to complications from her burn injuries, after which he was charged with her death.
Scott’s lawyer, William Clark, pursued defenses that Scott lacked intent due to intoxication ...
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