The State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Horace Nelson Laws, Defendant-Appellant; the State of New Jersey…

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the murder convictions and the death sentences but ordered a reargument limited to the single issue of whether the Court has authority to modify the jury‑imposed death sentence to life imprisonment. The Court upheld the validity of the search warrants, the joinder of defendants, the exclusion of a witness's mother, and the jury instructions on alibi. A concurrence noted the novelty of the sentencing question and urged a written statement from the prosecutor.