A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Trial Ordered For Arkansas Death Row Inmate

Rickey Dale Newman
Ark. Dept. of Correction

Arkansas' highest court has ordered a new trial for a death row inmate who confessed to the murder and mutilation of a woman at a transient camp in 2001.

Justices on Thursday reversed Rickey Dale Newman's 2002 capital murder conviction in the slaying of 46-year-old Marie Cholette near Van Buren in Crawford County.

Newman's attorney argued that Newman was mentally unfit to understand court proceedings or help with his defense, and the court agreed.

Newman had asked for the death penalty but when his execution date was nearing in 2005, he authorized his lawyer to apply for a stay and pursue appeals.

The state had argued there was sufficient evidence that Newman was competent to stand trial.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
Related Content