the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned...

the South Carolina Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence for Troy Alan Burkhart, a man convicted of a drug-related shooting of 3 people in November 1997. The justices this week ordered a new sentencing hearing
Prosecutors say the 41-year-old Burkhart shot 21-year-old Sonya Cann and brothers Stacy Walters, 20, and Shane Walters, 27.
The justices said there was improper testimony about the privileges that inmates serving life in prison receive, such as telephone access and television.
In 2002 the state Supreme Court had already overturned Burkhart’s conviction, ruling the judge at the trial didn't emphasize strongly enough the state had to prove the shootings were not in self-defense. On March 31, 2004 (see) Burkhart was sentenced to death again.