California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Lawyers for Harris File Federal Appeal
Condemned killer Robert Alton Harris is seeking a permanent reprieve from a death sentence imposed for the murder of two teen-agers in 1978. Lawyers for Harris, 37, filed a lengthy brief with the San Francisco-based U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, contending that Harris was denied competent psychiatric help at his 1979 trial. The attorneys argued that Harris deserves a chance to prove he suffers mental disorders that drove him to kill on impulse. Similar claims led a 9th Circuit Judge to block Harris’ scheduled April 3 execution. Harris was convicted of killing Michael Baker and John Mayeski, both 16.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
