In People v. Buenrostro, the Supreme Court today affirms the conviction, but reverses the death sentence, for a defendant who fatally stabbed her three children in 1994.
The court’s unanimous opinion by Justice Leondra Kruger rejects a number of appellate arguments, including that the jury was not properly instructed, and the superior court made various erroneous evidence rulings, regarding the issue whether the defendant was mentally competent to stand trial. However, the court concludes that a prospective juror was improperly excused based solely on her jury questionnaire responses and that, because of the error, U.S. Supreme Court case law requires reversal of the death penalty.
