State v. Piper
Annotate this CaseDefendant pleaded guilty to several offenses, including first-degree felony murder. Defendant was sentenced to death on the murder charge. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction and sentence. Defendant subsequently filed an application for writ of habeas corpus, claiming that he did not validly waive his right to have a jury determine whether to impose the death penalty. The Supreme Court granted the writ and vacated Defendant’s death sentence. On remand, Defendant filed a motion to withdraw his guilty pleas. The circuit court denied the motion on the merits, and the case proceeded to a jury sentencing. Thereafter, the jury sentenced Defendant to death. The Supreme Court affirmed the denial of Defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty pleas and the proportionality of his sentence, holding (1) although the circuit court’s denial on the merits of Defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty pleas was in excess of what was permitted by the limited remand, Defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty pleas was properly denied; and (2) Defendant’s sentence was lawfully imposed by the jury.
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