Court Grants Hearing to Death Row Inmate

A federal appeals court ruled that a Merced man on death row for 17 years is entitled to a hearing on whether his lawyer provided deficient representation during the trial’s sentencing phase.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision came in the case of Thaddaeus Louis Turner, who was convicted of the April 1984 stabbing death of Roy Savage. In a 3-0 ruling, the court rejected claims made by Turner and upheld his conviction. And the judges did not overturn the death sentence.

Judge Kim Wardlaw wrote that Turner’s claim that his lawyer “was ineffective during the penalty phase is compelling” and reversed a federal judge’s ruling that Turner was not entitled to a hearing.