HARTFORD — The Connecticut Supreme Court is standing by its decision to eliminate the death penalty, but state prosecutors are challenging that ruling in another capital punishment appeal.
Justices on Thursday rejected a request by prosecutors to reconsider their landmark 4-3 decision in August.
The majority ruled a 2012 state law abolishing capital punishment for future crimes must be applied to the 11 men on death row for killings committed before the law took effect. The decision came in the case of convicted killer Eduardo Santiago.
Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane said Thursday that prosecutors have filed a motion in the pending death penalty appeal of Russell Peeler Jr. to make the arguments they would have made in the Santiago case, if the Supreme Court had granted their motion to reconsider.