Today, United States District Court Judge Richard Gergel vacated the death sentence of Justice 360 client Johnny Bennett. The judge found Bennett’s due process rights were violated because (1) the solicitor improperly injected race into the sentencing phase of the trial (by referring to Bennett, an African American, as “King Kong” and making other racially charged statements) and (2) a juror who sentenced Bennett to death was racially biased (based on his statement that he believed Bennett committed the crime “because he was just a dumb n*****”). The full opinion from the judge can be read here.
![](https://justice360sc.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/bigstock-Decorative-Scales-Of-Justice-46278739-1024x670.jpg)