Man Who Killed as Teen Scheduled to Be Executed
Lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to block the execution of a man due to die today whose lengthy rap sheet culminated with a capital murder conviction at age 17, arguing that the penalty would violate international law.
Gerald Mitchell, 33, was condemned for robbing and fatally shooting a man with a sawed-off shotgun in 1985.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a defendant’s rights were not violated when the death sentence was imposed on a murder convict who was at least 16 at the time of the offense. And Texas law allows the death sentence to be imposed on those convicted of capital murder at age 17.
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