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December 4, 2009

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U.S. Supreme Court turns down Nevadan’s death sentence appeal

Monday, April 24, 2000 | 4:35 a.m.

The high court refused, without comment, to hear the appeal of Melvin J. Geary, 69, sentenced to death by injection for the stabbing death of his roommate, Edward Colvin, with a boning knife.

Geary previously got a life sentence for the stabbing death of a Las Vegas woman in 1974 - also with a boning knife. He was paroled three times from that sentence, but each time was arrested for drinking and imprisoned again. After serving a total of 13 years, he was paroled a fourth time and a month later was arrested for Colvin's murder.

Colvin's killing led to a death sentence for Geary, but the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the sentence in December 1996. In 1998, a new Washoe District Court penalty hearing resulted in another death sentence.

Prosecutors had contended during the resentencing that Geary wanted no further appeals. His lawyers denied that, but were unsuccessful in trying to get another lower court hearing.

After that, he appealed unsuccessfully to the Nevada Supreme Court and then to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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