CLINTON, La. (AP) — A Louisiana man had his first-degree murder conviction voided after his lawyer argued that the jury’s split verdict was unconstitutional.
A jury found Ryan Sharpe guilty in December 2019 of killing 48-year-old Brad Defranceschi in an 11-1 verdict.
On Tuesday, Sharpe’s lawyer Tommy Damico argued that Sharpe’s conviction should be voided and a new trial should be set because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned non-unanimous jury decisions. A district judge agreed and set a new trial for Sharpe for December.
Defranceschi was the second person gunned down in a string of shootings in 2017 authorities believe Sharpe committed.