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WHO'S WEARING THE WHITE HAT THESE DAYS?

By "Captain Liberty" and "Rumpole"

Not Prosecutors in Virginia.In the State Of Virginia?s relentless pursuit to execute a retarded man (See, Atkins v. Virginia 536 U.S. 304 (2002) ) we now know the reason the prosecutor?s are so angry: Mr. Atkins may well be innocent of the accusation that he was the trigger man in a robbery. The death penalty in Virginia is only available for the person who pulled the trigger unlike Florida (motto: ?we like to execute accomplices too?).And in Virginia, getting a conviction means never having to say you?re sorry.Attorney Leslie Smith who defended a co-defendant in this case, encountered the type of ethical dilemma that is a criminal defense attorney?s nightmare- the requirement that he keep his client?s secrets to the detriment and possible life of another person...continue to full post

Full post as published by Justice Building Blog on January 22, 2008 (boomark / email).