Court Overturns Death Sentence of Man Already Dead
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the murder conviction and death sentence of a prisoner who had died of natural causes.
Melvin Nelson Jr. was convicted in the April, 1982, slaying of Clearwater restaurateur Waldimir Baskovich in what officials labeled a murder-for-hire plot. Nelson, 44, died March 24 while playing basketball at Florida State Prison, apparently of natural causes.
The court ruled that the jury should not have been allowed to hear a tape-recorded conversation in which Nelson, who was not present, was implicated. Playing the tape violated Nelson’s right to confront his accusers and warranted a new trial, the court said.
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