In Annapolis, the Court of Appeals overturned the death...

In Annapolis, the Court of Appeals overturned the death sentence of Cortney Bryant, ruling that judges must consider the "youthful age" of any killer under age 19 as a factor in determining whether to issue a sentence of death or life without parole. The state's highest court unanimously ordered a new hearing for Cortney Bryant, who was convicted in 2001 of beating and fatally stabbing James Stambaugh Jr., 21, on Dec. 23, 2000. The ruling did not affect his conviction. The murder came five months after Bryant's 18th birthday, and the Court of Appeals, in a unanimous ruling, said Baltimore County Circuit Judge Alexander Wright erred by not finding that his age was a "mitigating factor." The decision by the state's highest court is the 1st time it has said that a judge or jury must consider the "youthful age" of 18-year-olds as a mitigating factor in deciding whether to give the death penalty.