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Thompson v. State
Citations: 762 P.2d 958; 1988 OK CR 195; 1988 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 182; 1988 WL 111996Docket: F-84-29
Court: Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma; September 15, 1988; Oklahoma; State Appellate Court
William Wayne Thompson was convicted of First Degree Murder in Grady County District Court and sentenced to death. His conviction was affirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeals, but the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari and subsequently vacated the death sentence, remanding the case for compliance with its opinion. The Supreme Court's mandate specified that while Thompson's conviction for First Degree Murder remains affirmed, the death sentence could not be enforced. Due to Oklahoma's lack of a minimum age requirement for the death penalty and the absence of such a standard, the court modified Thompson's sentence to life imprisonment. The court also noted that the 1986 constitutional amendment limiting the Governor's parole powers could not apply to Thompson, as he committed the offense prior to the amendment. Consequently, the Court of Criminal Appeals ordered that Thompson's judgment and sentence be modified to life imprisonment, affirming the conviction as modified.