Court Upholds Death Sentence For Cleveland Killer

The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a man condemned to die for shooting a woman at a Cleveland laundry mat. The court's 6-1 ruling came in the case of Jeremiah Jackson, convicted of killing Tracy Pickryl in 2009 at the end of a crime spree in Cleveland, Sandusky and Lorain. The court's decision Tuesday rejected defense arguments that the judge showed bias against Jackson by holding an unsolicited hearing to determine if Jackson had a mental disability. Justice Terrence O'Donnell, writing for the majority, said the judge wanted to ensure that Jackson, who an expert determined is not mentally disabled, received a fair trial. Dissenting justice William O'Neill said the hearing shouldn't have been held after Jackson's attorneys chose not to raise the issue.