Divided Supreme Court Overturns State Death Row Conviction

The dispute arose during jury selection, when then-District Attorney Doug Evans used peremptory strikes to remove four of the five black prospective jurors who remained in the jury pool.

According to court records, Evans offered several race-neutral explanations for the strikes.

One prospective juror had returned late from a lunch break, two had brothers who had been convicted of violent crimes, and another was described as sharing demographic characteristics with Pitchford, including being young, unmarried, and a parent.

Pitchford’s attorneys challenged the strikes under the Supreme Court’s Batson framework.