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Friday, October 23, 2009

Ind. Courts - More on "Hamilton Avenue slaying trial" continues

Updating this ILB entry from Oct. 21, yesterday the trial concluded and Judge Robert Altice "found the defendant guilty Desmond Turner on all 23 counts." Today Jon Murray of the Indianapolis Star reported on his blog at 10:00 AM:

At the end of a hearing lasting just half an hour, Judge Robert Altice rules that a life sentence without the possibility of parole is merited for Desmond Turner for the seven murders on Hamilton Avenue in June 2006.

He goes through the state's proposed aggravating circumstances and finds that each has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The court has likewise considered the defense's sole mitigating circumstance, which is, for lack of a better term, the idea of residual doubt," Altice says. "The aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigator beyond a reasonable doubt. The court is going to sentence the defendant to life imprisonment without parole."

But the judge doesn't impose that sentence today. He set a formal sentencing hearing for Nov. 20.

Austin Considine's coverage for True / Slant is available here.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 23, 2009 10:27 AM
Posted to Ind. Trial Ct. Decisions