USA - Ohio. Death sentence of Harry Mitts, 58, white, reinstated by U.S. Supreme Court

Death sentence of Harry Mitts, 58, white, reinstated by U.S. Supreme Court. In 1994, Mitts fatally shot John Bryant, his neighbor. Bryant, who was black, was shot in the chest. Authorities said that the murder was racially motivated. When police were called to Mitts' apartment to investigate the murder, Mitts got into a shoot out with the officers. Mitts killed Police Sgt. Dennis Glivar and wounded Lt. Thomas Kaiser and Patrolman John Mackey. The court's Monday ruling reverses a decision last year (Sept. 8, 2010) by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, which had said jurors were improperly instructed to rule out the death penalty before considering a prison sentence for Harry Mitts. When it reached the U.S. Supreme Court, they unanimously agreed that the jury instruction was not unconstitutional and reversed the Sixth Circuit Court decision, making Mitt eligible for execution.