USA - Alabama. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama vacated Victor Stephens's conviction and sentence.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama vacated Victor Stephens's conviction and sentence. Stephens, 49, black, shot store owner J.R. Bailey, 72, and Adam Pickens, 82, on January 20, 1986 during a robbery. The Hale County jury recommended a life without parole sentence, but the judge overrode the jury and sentenced Mr. Stephens to death in 1987. The federal court found that the Hale County prosecutor who tried the case illegally discriminated against African Americans during jury selection. During his capital trial, the prosecution illegally used 21 of its 23 peremptory strikes to remove eligible African Americans from serving on his jury. Concluding that the prosecutor illegally excluded black potential jurors based on their race, the federal court granting him a new trial.