Tison v. Arizona
United States Supreme Court
481 U.S. 137 (1987)
Relevant factsFree
Ricky and Raymond Tison (defendants) helped their father Gary, imprisoned for killing a guard, escape by smuggling weapons into the prison and arming him and his cellmate Greenawalt, then participated in commandeering a car, during which Gary and Greenawalt unexpectedly shot and killed all four occupants while Ricky and Raymond were briefly absent fetching water; both sons were convicted of felony-murder and sentenced to death despite lacking any intent to kill.
IssueFree
Whether it is constitutionally permissible to sentence a defendant convicted of felony-murder to death where the defendant neither intended to kill the victim nor actually inflicted the fatal injury.