Federal judge orders new murder trial for Black man in Mississippi over role of race in picking jury

Greenville, Miss. — A federal judge has overturned the death penalty conviction of a Mississippi man, finding a trial judge didn't give the man's lawyer enough chance to argue that the prosecution was dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills ruled Tuesday that the state of Mississippi must give Terry Pitchford a new trial on capital murder charges.

Mills wrote that his ruling is partially motivated by what he called former District Attorney Doug Evans' history of discriminating against Black jurors.