The Arkansas Supreme Court sent a death row inmate’s Fayetteville murder case back to Washington County on Thursday, stating the county Circuit Court must complete a new order in the five year old case.
Gregory Decay, 27, was convicted in 2008 of two counts of capital murder in the 2007 deaths of Kevin Barkley Jones and Kendall Rachell Rice, both 24. Decay was sentenced the same year to die by execution, according to court records.
Decay claims his lawyer failed to adequately defend him during his capital murder trial.
Decay later filed for post-conviction relief. Post-conviction relief seeks appeal of a criminal conviction based on several possible factors, including an incompetent defense attorney or a lack of due process, according to Arkansas state law.
The Washington County Circuit Court denied Decay’s petition for post-conviction relief, after which the petition was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which found Thursday that “the circuit court failed to make specific written findings of fact and conclusions of law,” according to the Supreme Court majority decision written by Chief Justice Jim Hannah.
The Washington County Circuit Court must supply a new order defending its rejection of Decay’s appeal within 60 days, according to the state Supreme Court opinion.
Decay told police he shot and killed Jones and Rice at their Fayetteville home over a dispute concerning marijuana, according to court documents.
Decay relocated to Fayetteville from New Orleans following the Hurricane Katrina disaster, according to his profile on LostVault.com
Lost Vault is a social media website for prison inmates to help them connect with outsiders and keep in contact with pen pals, the site states.
