The relevant precedent is Strickland v. Washington, where the high court in 1984 detailed standards for capital punishment challenges alleging constitutionally ineffective counsel.
Thursday’s decision effectively concludes 32 years of legal proceedings that began in 1992 after Jones, intoxicated by alcohol and crystal methamphetamine, committed a deadly baseball bat attack on his friend Robert Weaver, Weaver’s 7-year-old daughter Tisha Weaver, and Weaver’s grandmother Katherine Gumina. Jones was convicted in 1993 of murdering the Weavers and attempting to murder Gumina, who died 17 months later from her injuries.
Death Sentence for Arizona Man 32 Years After Murders
Jones has contested his death sentence by arguing that jurors only received a partial view of his traumatic experiences, which included his mother’s exposure to toxins while pregnant, severe physical, sexual, and emotional abuse by male family members, and a poor diet. However, the Supreme Court was not convinced that a full presentation of these experiences would have altered Jones’ original sentence due to the vicious nature of his attacks. The high court directed the Ninth Circuit to conclude that the shortcomings of Jones’ trial lawyer did not violate the constitutional right to counsel.
