Court upholds federal death sentence

The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Wednesday upheld the death sentence imposed against a man who raped and killed a nurse practitioner after she returned to her North Georgia home from a shopping trip with her fiance.

The court rejected claims raised by William Emmett LeCroy Jr., who sits on death row for the 2001 fatal carjacking of 30-year-old Joann Tiesler. LeCroy’s death sentence was the second capital sentence obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta since Congress reinstated the death penalty for federal crimes in 1988.

About the Author

Bill Rankin

Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.

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