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Bar Disgraces Itself In Hunter Case
While Micheal Mello was a professor of a Law professor. He wrote a commentary pertaining to the disciplinary proceedings of the attorney Will Hunter by the Vermont Bar.
Let the system work
Critiques Mello's temperment in the proceedings and in the case thus far. Commends Mello in the work he has done but disagrees with him in his outburst and calls for him to step away from the case and work with the existing legal system (the public…
Spaziano asks to be set free
An article in the St. Petersburg Times describing how the main witness in the murder investigation may have been under "Hypnosis" from the police. Diliso, the chief witness in the 1975 trial says that the technique the police used to coax memories…
Too much doubt in Spaziano case
This editorial describes the case of Robert Spaziano, a murder convict on death row. The editorial points out inconsistencies in the case against Spaziano and argues that doubt cannot exist with the death sentence.
Chiles spared Florida from a capital crime
Governor Chiles stops the planned execution of Joseph Spaziano for murder in order to review his court sentence. Little evidence has been found that holds gravitas in the case, which could spare Spaziano from the death penalty.
Chiles stays Spaziano execution
Newspaper report from 1995 on the staying of the execution of alleged murder John Spaziano by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles after a witness recanted his testimony due to it being acquired through hypnotic assistance, which had been banned after the…
A death penalty mistake
A motorcycle gang member, Joseph Robert Spaziano, is convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of an 18-year old woman. However, new doubts emerge about the crime, and the court proceedings and Spaziano's mental health are called into question.…
Florida may execute innocent man
Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano is an inmate on death row for a murder that he may not have committed.
Conditions of Release: Don't Watch Pornographic Movies
After a man views a pornographic movie, he rapes his wife and is charged with sexual assault. A judge rules that he can be released on bail only if he agrees not to possess or watch pornography.
'Death court' creates bottleneck of execution appeals, critics say
A newspaper account of the frustration felt by death penalty advocates at the slow appeals process, which they felt played into death row inmates motivation to extend their lives using drawn out appeals. The focus is on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of…
Lynch law justice
A magazine article that discusses the United States Supreme Court's decision on attorneys' usage of peremptory challenges for minority jurors when the defendant is also a minority.
Graham's gratitude
An article about Florida Gov. Bob Graham's speech at the dedication of the Vietnam memorial and how Graham ignored the last wishes of David Livingston Funchess, a veteran convicted to the electric chair.
Florida Challenged on Determining Sanity of Condemned Inmates
Determining whether a person is competent to be executed should be left to judges and not governors. Psychiatrists have no real guidelines for examining the competence of a death row inmate.
Lawyers Argue Over Executing Young Slayers
An article on the execution of juveniles in the state of Florida by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
NACDL Co-Sponsors Death Penalty Conference
The article describes the Annual Capital Punishment Conference and the issues it deals with. It also tells of the Conference's lack of funding and how the NACDL (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) stepped in to sponsor the event. The…
Panel: Jurors Should Decide the Fate of Killers
An article in support of juries having the final say in death penalty cases. Says that judges should not have the ability to overrule a jury decision.
Balance of Administrative Power against Student and Faculty Power
A political cartoon depicting an unbalanced scale, with the Administrative Power bag weighing significantly more than the smaller Student Power and Faculty Power bags.
Spaziano insists he's innocent
Spaziano later claims his innocence in court and Gov. Lawton Chiles delayed Spaziano's execution based on this information.
Yes, Ted Bundy Is Different
A letter to the editor concerning Michael Mello's involvement with death row convicts in Florida. The text focuses on Mello's unique coverage of serial killer Ted Bundy.