When it comes to perusing the death penalty, all cases are not created equal. Many cases which have seemed to have similar characteristics on the surface have resulted in prosecutors perusing differing strategies, in some cases the death penalty and in other cases lesser penalties.

For example, in March 2013 a suspect allegedly shot three people, killing one and injuring two others. In that case prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, but sought a first degree murder conviction instead. About two weeks earlier two men are alleged to have shot two people who had just left a bar. One was killed and the other was injured. But unlike the first case, prosecutors decided to seek the death penalty against both men in the second case.

One of the differences between the suspect in the first case and the suspects in the second case is that the first case has a white suspect, while the suspects in the second case are black. Now the attorney for the men charged in the second case is asking if race has something to do with the prosecutor’s decision to seek the death penalty against his client, and has asked Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski to force prosecutors to provide him with details on the decision making process.

Though the black suspects’ attorney cites at least two other high profile cases in which white suspects escaped death penalty cases, prosecutors insist that he has failed to show any pattern of discrimination.

Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer and Personal Injury Attorney with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.

If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-315-7441, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.