The Supreme Court has intervened in the case of Gary Richard Whitton, a Florida death row inmate, by overturning a federal appeals court decision. This marks the third time in recent weeks that the court has sided with an inmate sentenced to death. Whitton, convicted in 1992 for the murder of James Maulden, has maintained his innocence and is seeking to overturn his conviction.

Case Background

Whitton was found guilty of the 1990 murder of his friend Maulden at a motel in Destin, Florida. Despite a lower court acknowledging that a key witness lied on the stand, Whitton’s appeals were previously unsuccessful. The Supreme Court’s recent decision requires the federal appeals court to reevaluate the case, particularly focusing on DNA evidence that was not presented during the original trial.

The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled against Whitton, citing overwhelming evidence, including a 2002 DNA test linking blood on Whitton’s boots to the victim. However, this test was conducted a decade after the trial and was not part of the original court proceedings. The Supreme Court criticized the appeals court for considering evidence that the jury never saw.

Recent Supreme Court Decisions

This decision follows two other recent Supreme Court rulings in favor of death row inmates. Last week, the court sided with a Black man in Mississippi who claimed racial bias in jury selection. Additionally, the court upheld a decision preventing Alabama from executing a man deemed likely intellectually disabled.

Justice Clarence Thomas, joined in part by Justice Samuel Alito, dissented, arguing that the court’s intervention was unnecessary and that it overlooked more significant cases involving constitutional rights for law-abiding citizens.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.