Opinion ID: 1742511
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Guilty Plea Letter

Text: Langley first argues that in the penalty phase the trial court erred by prohibiting him from presenting evidence of his supposed desire to plead guilty unconditionally, communicated in a letter from defense counsel to the District Attorney's office. In the letter, defense counsel states that, Mr. Langley is prepared to accept any offer of settlement short of the death penalty that you see fit to make. Yet in the next paragraph, he states that Mr. Langley is himself offering a plea of guilty to first degree murder regardless of your agreement. However, as you know, I do not believe that the trial judge is currently permitted to go along with the offer of a plea without your consent. Defense counsel acknowledged that the law prohibited Langley from an unconditional plea of guilty to capital murder, but the defense argued that the pre-trial offer should come before the jury at the sentencing stage as a demonstration of remorse.