Butts and Marion Wilson Jr. were accused of hijacking Parks' car, forcing Parks to drive them to a secluded location in Milledgeville and then fatally shooting Parks with a sawed-off shotgun. Butts still has several avenues of appeal open to him. Wilson, who was also convicted and sentenced to die for the murder, has appealed to both the state and U.S. supreme courts, and his conviction and sentence have been upheld by both, according to Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright. Among the points of appeal offered by Butts' attorneys was ineffective assistance of counsel by his trial attorneys. But Georgia Chief Justice Robert Benham, in a concurring decision, opined that civility among opposing counsel does not render a defense ineffective.
Civility is more than good manners.
To avoid incivility's evil consequences of discord, disrespect, unresponsiveness, irresponsibility and blind advocacy, we must encourage lawyers to embrace civility's positive aspects. The information you receive online from The Macon Telegraph is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting or repurposing of any copyright-protected material.