The Senate voted 44-7 to remove the non-unanimous jury language from

The Senate voted 44-7 to remove the non-unanimous jury language from the bill that had been approved two days ago by the House of Representatives. SB 145, sponsored by State Sen. Preston Smith (R-Rome), started out as legislation that would have allowed District Attorneys to seek a life without parole sentence in aggravated murder cases without first having to seek the death penalty. But at the last minute, Majority Whip Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) offered an amendment that allows for judges to impose the death penalty when a jury is split 10-2. The bill returns to the House.
If this bill becomes law, Georgia would join only 4 states in allowing death sentences from non-unanimous juries: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, and Montana. On the Net: Senate Bill 145: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/