Study figures odds of killer getting death
Victim’s race and marital status seem to play role in cases
By PEGGY O'HARE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
March 4, 2010, 10:37PM
The death penalty is more likely to be imposed on convicted murderers who kill whites or Hispanics who have college degrees, are married and have no criminal records, according to a new study that examines 504 Harris County capital murder cases that occurred between 1992 and 1999.
Convicted capital murderers also were more likely to get the death penalty in Harris County when defended by court-appointed lawyers, while those who hired attorneys to represent them for the entire case were never sentenced to death, according to a separate brief written by the same professor.
Scott Phillips, a University of Denver sociology and criminology professor, said the second issue could be remedied by launching a public defender office with resources “proportionate” to the district attorney's office and eliminating the court-appointed system completely.
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