State's High Court Hears Death Row Arguments In Murder Of Oakland Park Man

Should an inmate on Florida's death row be granted a new trial??? That's the question at the State Supreme Court today. In 2005,Eric Kurt Patrick was sentenced to death for the kidnapping, robbery, and first-degree murder of 72-year-old Steven Schumaker, a gay Oakland Park beaten to death. His attorneys say the death recommendation should be thrown out because a juror made anti-gay comments during jury selection. But Lisa-Marie Lerner with the Florida Attorney General's Office says Patrick had the final say on every juror picked to serve. Jurors recommended death by a 7-5 vote, which automatically triggers a re-sentencing hearing because the decision is split.


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