MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A special prosecutor will be appointed in the retrial of a death penalty eligible man in the 1998 slaying of his ex-girlfriend.
Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich says the decision to have outside counsel appointed in the case of Michael Dale Rimmer came after the Tennessee Supreme Court publicly sanctioned prosecutor Thomas Henderson and the initial defense attorneys for their handling of the case.
The Commercial Appeal reported (https://bit.ly/KfqB8G ) that the special prosecutor will be able to re-evaluate whether to seek the death penalty or offer a plea.
In 1998, a Shelby County jury convicted Rimmer of killing his ex-girlfriend, 45-year-old Ricci Lynn Ellsworth, even though her body was never found. Last year, Criminal Court Judge James Beasley Jr. overturned the murder conviction and death sentence.
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Information from: The Commercial Appeal, https://www.commercialappeal.com
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