One Seat Went to a Black Juror, Eleven Went to White Jurors — The Supreme Court Just Revived a Mississippi Death Row Verdict

Terry Pitchford was 18 years old when a robbery inside a Grenada grocery store ended with gunfire and a dead store owner. More than twenty years later, the makeup of the panel that convicted him is pulling the case back into national view.

Four Black prospective jurors were removed before testimony started. By the time opening statements arrived, eleven white jurors and one Black juror filled the seats.

Pitchford was convicted of capital murder for his role in the 2004 robbery that left Reuben Britt dead, reported by The Associated Press. Eric Bullins, who was 16 and fired the fatal shots, later received a 20 year sentence through a plea agreement.

Mississippi prosecutors pursued execution for Pitchford while appeals and filings continued stacking up across multiple courts. His sentence remained intact as the case moved through years of review.

Thursday's 5 to 4 decision centered on what happened while attorneys and prosecutors were shaping the panel. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that Pitchford's defense team was not given a meaningful opportunity to push back against the explanations offered for removing Black prospective jurors.

Doug Evans surfaced in the case once more. The former Mississippi prosecutor became widely known after the Curtis Flowers litigation reached the nation's highest court over similar accusations tied to panel makeup.

Defense lawyers pointed to similarities between Black citizens who were dismissed and white citizens who stayed. Those side by side comparisons drew attention to how the final group was assembled.

Objections did not disappear after the panel was chosen. Records show the disagreement followed the case through appeals, federal review, and multiple judicial opinions spanning nearly two decades.

No new trial begins this week and no prison gates swing open today. Yet the names left off that panel continue echoing through legal filings long after the grocery store lights went dark and the original verdict was delivered.