Sheldon, Flood & Haywood attorney Joseph Flood presented oral argument to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 1, 2014, in a death penalty habeas appeal on behalf of Roger Wheeler, an inmate on Kentucky’s death row. Argument focused on three issues – the trial court’s erroneous exclusion of a qualified juror, the improper admission of highly inflammatory evidence of the victim’s pregnancy, and the trial court’s failure to inform the jury about the proper standard for considering reasons to spare Mr. Wheeler’s life. Mr. Flood was questioned extensively on each issue and was permitted an additional fifteen minutes of argument. A decision in the case is not expected until 2015. The case is Wheeler v. Simpson, Case No. 11-5707.
Oral argument for the hearing may be found here.
