Capital defendant whose lawyer conceded guilt despite his objection seeks relief from Supreme Court

Capital defendant whose lawyer conceded guilt despite his objection seeks relief from Supreme Court

Share

This week we highlight cert petitions that ask the Supreme Court to consider, among other things, a capital defendant’s request for habeas relief on the ground that his lawyer conceded guilt over his objection, as in 2018’s McCoy v. Louisiana.

Though the inmate in the 2018 case, Robert McCoy, had insisted that he was innocent, his lawyer considered the evidence against McCoy “overwhelming” and counseled that the best strategy to avoid the death penalty was to concede guilt. … Read the rest