Supreme Court of New Jersey
State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Donald Loftin, Defendant-Appellant
August 8, 1996146 N.J. 295
Summary
The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed Donald Loftin’s murder conviction and death sentence. The Court held that the trial court did not err in its handling of jury qualification, voir dire, evidentiary rulings, jury instructions, or the exclusion of certain mitigating evidence. The Court also rejected Loftin’s Eighth Amendment challenge to the death‑penalty statute. Justice Handler and Justice O’Hern dissented, arguing that the aggravating factor c(4)(f) and the lack of proper jury instructions warranted reversal.