Missouri court overturns death sentence

Amsterdam News.Net
Tuesday 1st December, 2009

The Missouri Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence on Mark Gill, after questioning the character of his victim.

Gill's sentence was set aside because his lawyer had failed to question the character of the murder victim, Ralph Lape Jr, who was later found to have child pornography on his computer.

The high court decided jurors may have been less inclined to sentence Gill to death had they been aware of Lape's penchant for child pornography.

The Supreme Court has now sent the case back to a lower court for new sentencing.

In its judgement, the court said that while character evidence about murder victims is typically barred, when Lape's relatives testified about his generous character, defence counsel should have highlighted the pornography issue.

Gill was living in a camper trailer on Lape's property at the time of the slaying.

The murder was enacted with another man who helped Gill kidnap, shoot and bury Lape.

The accomplice, was sentenced to life in prison.

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