Jewish death row inmate to be retried after sentencing judge's antisemitism revealed

Now Halprin, one of the two culprits still alive, could be granted a new trial after the local district attorney filed a petition to vacate his conviction after witnesses at his sentencing testified that they heard the judge use antisemitic language.

Vickers Cunningham, the sentencing judge, was allegedly heard describing the defendants as “the Mexican, the queer, and the Jew” and also reportedly called Halprin: “the goddamn kike” and “the Jew.” 

In a statement, Tivon Schard, Halprin’s lawyer, said that he was grateful to the eyewitnesses “who bravely performed their civic duty in a difficult case left no doubt that Judge Cunningham harbored antisemitic bias towards Randy Halprin."

Earlier this week the District Attorney in charge of the case urged judges to overturn the conviction and give Halprin a new trial saying that Cunningham: “harboured actual bias against him at the time of trial.”