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Missouri Supreme Court tosses second death sentence for St. Louis man

The Missouri Supreme Court (file)
(St. Louis Public Radio)
The Missouri Supreme Court (file)

By AP/KWMU

Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri Supreme Court has again tossed out a St. Louis man's murder conviction and death sentence, ruling the prosecutor improperly excluded potential jurors because of their race.

Last year the Court ordered a new trial for Vincent McFadden. He was sentenced to death for a 2002 street killing.

Tuesday, the court reversed McFadden's conviction and sentence in a different 2003 shooting death and ordered another new trial.

In this case the court also said that racial discrimination in jury selection violates equal-protection rights.

The court said it did not accept the state's given reasons for striking the jurors.

The court also says the jury in the current case relied in part on McFadden's earlier conviction to recommend a death sentence, so it cannot stand.

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