USA - Florida. A divided Florida Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentence for Anthony Welch.

A divided Florida Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentence for Anthony Welch. The 4-3 ruling means Welch, 30, will have a new trial for the penalty phase of his case. Welch pleaded guilty in November 2005 to killing Rufus and Kyoko Johnson, 69 and 66 years, inside their home in December 2000, and was sentenced to death on March 7, 2006 (see). The Florida Supreme Court ruled that an error by Brevard County Circuit Court Judge Tonya Rainwater means Welch should get a new sentencing phase in his case. Among the points in Welch’s appeal, he challenged his sentence on the basis of jury selection. The prosecution removed from consideration a potential juror, and the judge allowed it. "Instead of requesting the state's reason for the strike, the trial judge focused on the grounds for the defense’s objection," the court wrote.