The 10th U

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Mark David Johnson was unfairly sentenced for the 1991 murder of Billy Webb. The appellate judges concluded 3-0 that the sentence was unfair because the trial judge incorrectly answered a question from jurors about their consideration of possible penalties for Johnson. Jurors wanted to know if a sentence of life without parole meant that Johnson could never be paroled. The trial judge in Love County, where the murder occurred, replied, "It is inappropriate for you to consider the question asked." That was incorrect because it was proper for them to consider that issue, according to Friday's decision. As a result, jurors may not have realized that imposing a life sentence without parole was an option, the appellate judges wrote in a 22-page decision.