RENO, Nev. (AP) — A former Reno detective who says he's prejudiced in favor of the death penalty is among the 19 prospective jurors dismissed from a panel in Nevada that will decide whether a murder convict who's been on death row for 34 years should serve life in prison instead.
A federal appeals court upheld 67-year-old Tracy Petrocelli's 1982 murder conviction two years ago but ruled his rights were violated during the penalty phase of the trial and ordered a new sentencing hearing.
The retired police detective told Washoe County District Judge Egan Walker during jury selection Monday he isn't sure that he testified at the original trial but knows the details of the case — the robbery and murder of a Reno car salesman.
Judge Walker excused him after he said he'd love to serve in a death-penalty case, but doesn't think the defense would want him.