FELTROP, RALPH CECIL

General Information

DOB: February 26, 1955
Race: White
Gender: Male

Crime and Trial

County of conviction: Jefferson
Number of counts: One
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Female
Date of crime: March 8-16, 1987 (precise date unknown)
Date of sentencing: August 5, 1988
Date of execution: August 6, 1997

Legal status:

Trial Counsel:
Larry Schmidt

Last counsel of record:
Richard Sindel
8008 Carondelet Suite 301
Clayton, MO 63105
314-721-6040

Last judicial decision:

--Denial of habeas relief adhered to following remand from U.S. Supreme Court. See Feltrop v. Bowersox, 91 F.3d 1178 (8th Cir. 1996), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1242 (1997).

Reported opinions:

--Conviction, sentence, and denial of post-conviction relief affirmed by State v. Feltrop, 803 S.W.2d 1 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1262 (1991).

--Denial of habeas affirmed by Feltrop v. Delo, 46 F.3d 766 (8th Cir. 1995), vacated and remanded by Feltrop v. Bowersox, 516 U.S. 1006 (1995), denial of habeas adhered to by Feltrop v. Bowersox, 91 F.3d 1178 (8th Cir. 1996), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1242 (1997).

Significant legal issues:

--unconstitutional vagueness of the "depravity of mind" aggravating circumstance, when the jury was not instructed on the judicially-approved limiting construction of the aggravator and never determined whether the aggravator, so defined, existed in Mr. Feltrop's case

--voluntariness of incriminating statements given to the police

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