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September 26, 2017

Georgia Slated to Execute Keith Tharpe Tonight, Despite Racial Bias of Juror
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And in Georgia, lawyers for death row prisoner Keith Tharpe have
launched a flurry of legal challenges ahead of his scheduled execution
tonight at 7 p.m. local time. Tharpe, who is African-American, was
convicted in 1991 of murdering his sister-in-law. Lawyers say the racial
prejudice of one of the jurors violated his Sixth Amendment right to a
fair trial. In an interview after the trial, the juror used the N-word
and asked "if black people even have souls." His lawyers also say his
execution would be illegal because Tharpe is intellectually disabled.
The state Board of Pardons and Paroles denied him clemency on Monday
night, but several legal challenges are still pending.


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