Supreme Court declines Louisiana death row inmate's appeal hearing
The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Louisiana man on death row.
LOUISIANA, La. (KLFY) - The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Louisiana man on death row.
David Brown, who was convicted of killing a prison guard in 1999, was seeking a new sentencing hearing, over a dissent from the three liberal justices.
Brown was convicted of killing Capt. David Knapps, during a 1999 escape attempt from Angola State prison.
According to the release, "Brown argues he is entitled to a reconsideration of his death sentence because prosecutors failed to provide his lawyers with evidence that might have led a jury to spare his life. Only after the sentencing did prosecutors give Brown's legal team a confession from a fellow inmate, Barry Edge, that supported Brown's contention that he was not involved in Knapps' killing. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the delay violated Brown's constitutional rights under a 1963 Supreme Court decision requiring the prosecution to turn over material that would help a defendant's case."
Brown was involved with a group of prisoners in the escape attempt, but claimed he wasn’t there when Knapps was killed inside a bathroom.
A state judge overturned the death sentence, but the Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated it by a 4-3 vote. That court's majority said Edge's statement wasn't favorable to Brown.