A new ruling from the nation's high court could pave the way for some facing the death penalty to seek a new hearing.
Prior to 1994, someone sentenced to life behind bars in Arizona could eventually seek parole. That changed so that now the only way out is the rarely available executive clemency. But jurors were not told this when deciding the sentence for Shawn Lynch who was convicted of a brutal 2001 murder.
On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court said that lack of information could have resulted in jurors sentencing him to death out of fear of not wanting to see Lynch back on the street.
Federal public defender Dale Baich said this case is not unique. "That is the kind of information that the prosecutors want to keep from the juries. The juries have not been told there is no release mechanism in these cases," he said.
Tuesday's ruling sets a new precedent not only for cases that have not yet come to trial but also for others on death row who have not exhausted their appeals.
"We will be taking a careful look at the pending cases and bring this issue to the attention of the courts," Baich said.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Lynch, declined to comment.