KARU GENE WHITE v. LAURA PLAPPERT, Warden - Articles

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KARU GENE WHITE v. LAURA PLAPPERT, Warden

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Mar 14, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Margaret O’Donnell, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Elizabeth Hedges, OFFICE OF THE KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellee.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Margaret O’Donnell, ATTORNEY AT LAW, David M. Barron, KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Elizabeth Hedges, Bryan D. Morrow, OFFICE OF THE KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL, Frankfort, Kentucky, for Appellee.

Judge(s): United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Lexington

Court Appealed: BATCHELDER, STRANCH, and THAPAR, Circuit Judges

THAPAR, Circuit Judge. In 1979, Karu Gene White used a crowbar to beat a blind seventy-five-year-old and two other seniors to death while robbing them. In the forty-five years since, White has offered various reasons why he shouldn’t be executed. Here, he argues that Kentucky shouldn’t have sentenced him to death because his trial counsel failed to investigate and present mitigating evidence. Neither argument holds up. Thus, we affirm the district court’s denial of his habeas petition.

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