A Court Considers Vacating Murder Convictions of a Man Who Died in Prison
A federal appeals court is considering whether to vacate the murder convictions of a man who died in prison while appealing his death sentence for brutally killing three men in New England more than 20 years ago.
Federal prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected to submit legal briefs this month on the impact of Gary Lee Sampson’s Dec. 21 death on his pending appeal and underlying convictions.
The office of new U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, which has a deadline to respond to the court order Friday, declined to comment Wednesday, but at least one member of Sampson’s legal team suggested the decision should be fairly straightforward.
Madeline Cohen, a Boulder, Colorado, lawyer, said her late client’s appeal didn’t seek to challenge the legality of his conviction, only the decision to sentence him to death.
