Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Associated Press
CINCINNATI
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Ohio’s appeal of a ruling throwing out a man’s conviction and death sentence in the 1997 slaying of a Cincinnati convenience-store owner.
The high court Monday let stand a 2018 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that agreed with attorneys for Ahmad Fawzi Issa that statements about his involvement in a murder-for-hire case were hearsay and violated his right to confront witnesses against him. He was convicted of arranging the shooting of Maher Khrais outside his store in 1997.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters will have to decide whether to retry Issa, age 49. Otherwise, he could be released from the state prison where he’s been held since 1998.
A message for comment was left Monday for Issa’s attorney.