Federal judge tosses out death sentence - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge has thrown out the capital murder conviction of Quintez Wren Hodges, who was sentenced to death in 2001 in Lowndes County in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend's brother.
U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills, in a decision released Monday, says Hodges' legal representation "was so lacking" as to render "unreasonable" a later Mississippi Supreme Court decision addressing several factors, including presentation of false evidence and ineffective counsel, during the sentencing phase of his trial.
Mills also found that Hodges' attorneys showed the reasonable likelihood "that the jury's verdict might have been affected as a result of the false testimony."
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