An Oklahoma court was ordered to resentence Mexican...

An Oklahoma court was ordered to resentence Mexican national Gerardo Valdez, who was handed the death penalty for killing a man in 1989. The ruling by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals was a victory for Mexican officials, including President Vicente Fox, who sought clemency for Valdez last year. Defense attorneys argued Oklahoma violated international law by failing to inform Valdez of his right to contact the Mexican consul. They also pointed to evidence of mental impairment that was not presented to the jury. In its ruling, the Oklahoma appeals court said the trial court and state officials erred by not informing Valdez of his rights. The court also said it "cannot have confidence" that the jury would have rendered the ultimate sentence if it had had facts about Valdez' "mental status and psyche" at the time of the crime. Valdez, 42, was convicted of killing Juan Barron in 1989.