Did Race Play Into Death Penalty Decision?

We're digging deeper into some accusations that came shortly after a jury sentenced twenty four year old Rejon Taylor to death yesterday.

Shortly after the jury sentenced Taylor to death we heard both his family and his attorney's cry that this was a racist decision. Prosecutors were quick to dismiss that charge, but today we went searching for answers.

Prosecutors say Rejon Taylor is more dangerous than a Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde figure and believe that's exactly why he deserves the death sentence he received yesterday. Taylor's brother agrees the case hinged on appearance, but not that of a split personality.

"I feel it is a racist decision, I firmly believe that in my heart," John Taylor said shortly after his brother received the death sentence.

And it's a belief that Taylor's Attorney's echoed, even going as far to compare the Department of Justice to the Nazis - this after former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales authorized prosecutors to go for death in Taylor's case.

"Statistically and overwhelmingly when the victim is white and the defendant is an African American they certainly ask and seek the death penalty," Bill Ortwein, Taylor's attorney, says.

With that in mind, we sat down and poured through a number of death row studies and statistics today. Taylor makes the 56th Federal Death Row inmate in the country - currently twenty-seven blacks and twenty-three whites make up the majority of prisoners waiting execution.

When specifically looking into race we went to the Death Penalty Information Center and found stats for executions involving interracial murders. Remember that Taylor, an African American, murdered Guy Luck, a white male. Since 1976, fifteen white defendant's have been executed for murdering black victims. Compare that to two hundred and twenty-eight black defendants that have been executed for killing white victims, but Lucia Rajec, with the Information Center, questions the assertion that the Department of Justice always seeks the death penalty for black defendants with white victims.

"I'm not sure that's necessarily true across the board for all states, I think it's more so in the south where you have that happening," Rajec tells us.

And Rajec goes onto point out that it's the victim's race that plays an integral part when seeking the death penalty. Since 1976, 79% of the victims in execution cases have been white, while 14% have been black.

"In a situation with white victims there's a much higher likely hood of the death sentence being pursued as apposed to black victims," Rajec says.

Taylor's attorney's say they plan to appeal, but if he does end up being executed, he will die by lethal injection.