US: A US court in Colorado has thrown out a death penalty ruling after discovering jurors consulted the Bible to reach their verdict. The state's Supreme Court said the Bible constituted an outside influence and reliance on a "higher authority".
The jury voted unanimously for the death penalty in 1995, when Robert Harlan was found guilty of kidnapping 25-year-old cocktail waitress Rhonda Maloney, raping her at gunpoint for two hours and then fatally shooting her. Harlan later admitted killing her, but said he was under the influence of cocaine, alcohol and rage.
The Supreme Court ruling yesterday sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Harlan's defence said five jurors had looked up Bible verses and talked about them while deliberating behind closed doors. One juror noted the Old Testament Book of Leviticus line "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth".
The court concluded that "at least one juror could have been influenced by these authoritative passages" to vote for the death penalty.