Six students at UC Berkeley Law department helped to convert a potential death sentence into a life sentence for a mentally ill Virginia man who faced capital murder charges for his role in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and brother. Justin Slater, 24, will now be eligible for parole at age 60.
Working within the Death Penalty Clinic under staff attorney Kate Weisburd, students Tess Hand-Bender, Stephanie Clark, Raghav Krishnapriyan, Joe Goldstein-Breyer, Ellen Rheaume and Sarah Ihn reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, identified witnesses who could describe and explain Slater’s history of mental illness. They also interviewed dozens of witnesses — many of whom shed light on his longstanding mental condition and mental state at the time of the crimes.
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Photo: UC Berkeley Law.
