Lawyer: Let legislature decide if suicide cancels conviction

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments about a rule that canceled the conviction of a white man who killed himself shortly after starting his life sentence for killing a Black man. The Advocate reports that Kenneth Gleason’s lawyer says the Legislature is the proper body to decide whether to keep or reject the little-known rule. It requires courts to set aside a conviction if the defendant dies while appeals are pending. Prosecutors say the court can change the rule, as high courts in other states have done. The Louisiana Supreme Court has scheduled arguments May 10.