Idaho high court considers death penalty reviews

Issue arises in case of murderer of Soda Springs woman

POSTED: 03:37 PM MST Nov 08, 2012    UPDATED: 04:04 PM MST Nov 08, 2012 
timothy dunlap
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -

The Idaho Supreme Court is deciding just how much of each death penalty case they must consider under Idaho's mandatory review law. The ruling could change the landscape of capital punishment in Idaho.

The issue arose in the case of Timothy Dunlap. He's sentenced to death in Idaho for the 1991 murder of Tonya Crane in Soda Springs and in Ohio for the murder of Belinda Bolanos.

State attorney LaMont Anderson wants the justices to define what they will consider during a mandatory review. He says that will keep defendants from constantly raising new sentencing issues in federal appeals.

But defense attorney Shannon Romero says the Idaho Supreme Court has an obligation to consider all aspects of a death sentence.

The justices didn't say when they would issue a decision.

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