California High Court Voids Death Sentence
As a small boy, Larry Lucas was regularly beaten by his parents and grandmother, fed very little food, dressed in rags during brutal Midwest winters and punished with cigarette burns. None of that, however, was mentioned as mitigating evidence during the trial at which Lucas was sentenced to death for two murders. On Monday, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ronald George, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the absence of that information was enough to negate Lucas' death sentence.
The above is from CalLaw.com, but you can't read the rest of it without a subscription. However, the Court's full opinion is accessible here.