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LAYTON, Utah (AP) -- The Utah Supreme Court has overturned the sentence of a man convicted of aggravated murder in the 2002 death of a 6-year-old girl.
The court said in a ruling Tuesday that Mark Anthony Ott's counsel was deficient because it didn't object to victim impact evidence about Ott's character, chances for rehabilitation and deserved sentence.
The court said that kind of victim impact evidence violates the Eighth Amendment when introduced in capital sentencing hearings. The court didn't overturn the conviction but ordered a new sentencing hearing.
The 45-year-old Ott has been serving a sentence of life without parole at the Utah State Prison.
Lacey Paige Lawrence died Sept. 1, 2002 in a house fire Ott allegedly started at the home of his estranged wife, Donna Ott.
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Information from: Standard-Examiner
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