A judge in Ash Flat is considering whether a Florida man sentenced to die for the 1986 deaths of an Arkansas couple received adequate legal representation in his trial.
The Batesville Daily Guard reports that Steven Victor Wertz is challenging his death sentence for the deaths of Terry and Kathy Watts of Ash Flat. A jury deliberated 40 minutes before convicting Wertz in 2007 in Sharp County.
His attorneys argue that Wertz could have been spared the death penalty had he received proper legal representation.
Jack McQuary says the jury was told that Wertz was a “war hero” and that they still chose the death penalty.
The judge has not yet ruled in the case.