Leavitt Death Warrant Upheld

Richard Leavitt, the man set to be executed for the 1984 murder and mutilation of a Blackfoot woman, was back in court Wednesday trying to quash his death warrant.

Leavitt?s attorney made several different cases about why the warrant should be quashed, but his main reason was simple: The warrant shouldn?t have been issued in the first place, and Leavitt deserves to be heard.

But Prosecutor Scott Andrews pointed to the repeated trials and appeals, saying it was a judgment of conviction.

After an hour of hearing, 7th District Judge Jon Shindurling, who signed the warrant in the first place, took only a couple of minutes to make his decision.

?There’s no reason why it should be interfered with, at least by this court. I have no jurisdiction to do anything else,? said Shindurling.

Shindurling said that although he has no jurisdiction, the next steps to stop the execution could be through the state or federal court.

As of right now, Leavitt is set to be executed by lethal injection in Boise on June 12.