The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal in a Kentucky death penalty case before the year is out. The justices set a Dec. 11 hearing date for the case of 39-year-old Robert Keith Woodall.
The high court will decide if an error in jury instructions means Woodall should get a second chance to spare his life. Kentucky prosecutors are seeking to reinstate the death sentence for Woodall, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to abducting and killing 16-year-old Sarah Hansen from a convenience store in Greenville.
The court will consider whether the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals erred in upholding a decision to overturn Woodall's death sentence.
The justices will also weigh whether the appeals court followed precedent regarding how it reviewed the state court decision.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/10/04/2859040/us-supreme-court-to-hear-ky-case.html#storylink=cpy