Erskine Leroy Johnson v. State of Tennessee

Summary

The court held that the State violated due process by withholding a police report that supported Johnson’s position that he did not fire the bullet that grazed a bystander during the robbery. Because the report was favorable and its suppression undermined confidence in the jury’s reliance on the great-risk-of-death aggravating circumstance and death sentence, the court affirmed the order vacating the sentence and remanded for a new capital sentencing hearing.