Supreme Court rules in favor of Alabama death row inmate

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(AP) – The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of an Alabama inmate who
complained that he didn’t have an independent mental health expert to help him
try to stave off a death sentence at his trial.The justices divided 5-4 Monday in siding with inmate James McWilliams. He did
not have his own expert when he was convicted of raping and killing a
convenience store clerk in Tuscaloosa.

The justices had previously decided that poor defendants whose mental health
might be a factor in the criminal charges they are facing have a right to an
expert’s evaluation.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court that McWilliams’ mental health
assistance “fell far short” of what the earlier case required.

The decision could also affect two Arkansas inmates on death row.

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