Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
LANCELOT ARMSTRONG, the Jamaican man on death row in Florida,
continued the fight to save his life just over a week ago, when a hearing was
held to determine how much his case might have been prejudiced.
The hearing arose from the failure of the prosecution to disclose that a key witness in Armstrong's original trial had a criminal record.
Armstrong's attorney, David Rowe, told The Gleaner that at the May 4 hearing, the court considered how the non-disclosure of the criminal record of that particular (prosecution) witness' affected Mr. Armstrong's ability to represent himself at the original trial.
The biggest test for Armstrong will probably come in a
few weeks, however, when the court considers whether to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.
If the court rules to uphold the death penalty, it would be left to Florida's Governor, Jeb Bush, to decide whether to grant clemency. His chances of clemency are considered slim, however, as the governor has repeatedly stated his strong support for the death penalty for anyone found guilty of killing members of the police force.
Armstrong was convicted for the murder of Broward Sheriff's Deputy John Greeney, on February 17, 1990. Armstrong and another man, Ercely Wayne Coleman, with whom he worked, were accused of killing the policeman during a robbery at a restaurant.
