Divided Supreme Court Overturns State Death Row Conviction

He ultimately received a 20 year prison sentence

Pitchford, however, faced capital murder charges and was sentenced to death following his conviction.

The Supreme Court’s latest ruling does not address his guilt or innocence, but instead focuses on whether the trial court properly handled allegations that black jurors were excluded from the jury in violation of Batson.

The dispute arose during jury selection, when then-District Attorney Doug Evans used peremptory strikes to remove four of the five black prospective jurors who remained in the jury pool.