CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada appellate court has declined petitions by two of the state’s longest-serving death row inmates.
The Nevada Appeal reported Tuesday that the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously rejected appeals by 58-year-old John Bejarano and 66-year-old Robert Ybarra Jr.
Officials say they disagreed with Bejarano and Ybarra who cited a Florida case concluding trial courts must instruct jurors the state must prove aggravating circumstances in a death case are not outweighed by mitigating circumstances.
Bejarano has been on death row since 1988 after being convicted of murder, deadly weapon enhancement, an ex-felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Ybarra Jr. has been on death row since 1981 after being convicted of rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl and setting her on fire eventually killing her.
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Information from: Nevada Appeal, http://www.nevadaappeal.com
