Ruling that juries cannot turn to the Bible for advice during deliberations, a divided Colorado Supreme Court threw out the death penalty for a convicted murderer because jurors discussed verses from Scripture.
In a 3-2 vote on Monday, justices ordered Robert Harlan to serve life without parole for kidnapping Rhonda Maloney and raping her at gunpoint for two hours before fatally shooting her.
...Defense attorney Kathleen Lord, arguing before the state Supreme Court last month, said the jurors had gone outside the law. ``They went to the Bible to find out God's position on capital punishment,'' she said.
Prosecutors countered, saying jurors should be allowed to refer to the Bible or other religious texts during deliberations.
Monday's ruling said the Bible and other religious writings are considered ``codes of law by many'' in Colorado. But noting that it takes a unanimous jury to impose a death sentence here, the court said ``at least one juror in this case could have been influenced by these authoritative passages ... when he or she may otherwise have voted for a life sentence.''
Let's all take scripture literally, shall we?
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