Blakeney v. Mississippi

Justin Blakeney was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death after a trial in Jones County before Greene County jurors. On August 10, 2010, twenty-six-year-old Justin Barrett Blakeney called 911, stating that two-year-old Victoria Viner (“V.V.”) had become unresponsive. Blakeney and Lidia Viner, V.V.’s mother, had been dating for approximately eight months at that time. Viner was a noncitizen of the United States. Blakeney and Viner had been living together for approximately six months. V.V. had attended daycare when Blakeney first moved in, but Blakeney had been keeping V.V. at home for around two months because he did not have a job and the couple needed to save money. One day, V.V. complained of headaches and collapsed, prompting a 9-1-1 call. Doctors found V.V. had head injuries consistent with hits to the head. Blakeney was arrested in connection with the child's eventual death. Blakeney was charged with felonious child abuse; Viner was charged with negligence, given probation, and deported. Pre-trial publicity surrounding this case prompted a change in venue. The Mississippi Supreme Court determined reversible error occurred in the denial of Blakeney’s opportunity to present a complete defense, by allowing evidence and testimony obtained from informants working as State agents, and through prosecutorial misconduct. It therefore reversed Blakeney’s conviction and sentence and remanded his case for a new trial on the merits. View "Blakeney v. Mississippi" on Justia Law