On 05/05/2016, the Florida Supreme Court considered the case of Timothy Hurst, an inmate currently held on Death Row. He was sentenced under the state's capital punishment law, which has been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court since January this year. The outcome of the case could have an impact on 400 other inmates that are currently awaiting execution.
Donatella Sicomo, lawyer for the Criminal Department at Giambrone, commented: "This new ruling could have a significant impact on the lives of more than 400 inmates that are currently being held on Death Row. Should capital punishment be declared unconstitutionale, death sentences could be turned to sentences of life in prison and therefore prohibit judges resorting to the death penalty sentences in the future".
Timothy Hurst was sentenced to death for a murder committed in 1998. Hurt's lawyer requested the Florida Supreme Court to change Hurst's death sentence to life in prison. However, the Assistant Public Defender, David Davis, declared that the procedure cannot be separated from the punishments. The court must either leave him on Death Row or sentence him again under new state law.
Giambrone has a team of experienced Italian criminal lawyers representing foreign nationals across Italy. Our on-the-ground Arabic, British, German and Spanish speaking lawyers are readily available to offer immediate assistance to non-Italian speakers at their time of distress.
In Italy, it is not unusual to resolve a matter by negotiation with the relevant authorities in order to keep the matter out of court. We use our breadth of experience to reduce the seriousness of charges brought against clients who are at their most vulnerable in a foreign country.
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