LA Supreme Court Reinstates Conviction

The Advertiser reports that the Louisiana Supreme Court has reinstated the conviction of a woman charged with shooting to death her 3-year-old son. The issue on appeal was whether or not Deidre A. Pierre knowingly waived her right to trial by jury. The trial court did not ask Pierre if she wanted to waive her right to jury - only her attorney. "[T]he Supreme Court ruled that an attorney can waive a jury trial on a client’s behalf, if the client is in agreement with the move at the time."

Posted by AJR at April 1, 2003 10:45 AM