USA - Connecticut. Lazale Ashby resentenced to life in prison without parole

Lazale Ashby, a former death row inmate, was resentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2002 slaying of a woman, 21-year-old Elizabeth Rodriguez. Ashby, 33, Black, had his sentence converted by the Hartford Superior Court as a result of the state Supreme Court decision to end capital punishment. Ashby, who was convicted in 2008 (see January 31 and March 28), raped and strangled Elizabeth Garcia inside her apartment. Ashby also is serving a 25-year sentence for a fatal shooting that took place in 2003. The state Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in 2015. 9 of the state's 11 former death row inmates have since been resentenced to life in prison.