FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY CASE -- MISSOURI
ARBOLEDA ORTIZ
General Information
DOB: April 4, 1967
Race: Colombian/black
Gender: Male
Crime and Trial
District of conviction: Western District of Missouri
Trial judge: Gary A. Fenner
Number of counts: One
Race of victim: Hispanic (Colombian)
Gender of victim: Male
Date of crime: Nov. 28, 1998
Date of sentencing: Dec. 19, 2000
Trial Counsel: Larry Pace, John Lozano
Legal status
Current proceedings:
- Post-judgment motion pending following district court’s denial of motion
to vacate or modify sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Case No.
4:04-cv-08001-GAF)
Last judicial decision:
- District court’s denial of post-conviction relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2255,
unpublished order dated Dec. 14, 2007
Current counsel:
Kent E Gipson
Public Interest Litigation Clinic
305 East 63rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64113
(816)363-2795
Fax: (816)363-2799
Email: kgipson@pilc.net
Jay D DeHardt
McQuain DeHardt & Rosenbloom, PC
4505 Madison Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64111-3500
(816)751-0509
Fax: (816)751-0520
Email: dehardt@mdrlaw.com
Reported Opinions:
- Conviction and sentence affirmed by United States v. Ortiz, 315
F.3d 873 (8th Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 540 U.S. 1073 (2003)
Significant legal issues:
- possible mental retardation (IQ tested at 54), coupled with trial
counsel’s failure to have Mr. Ortiz evaluated by a mental health professional,
and to call any penalty phase witnesses
trial counsels’ failure to discover and develop evidence of Mr. Ortiz’s
frontal lobe damage, relationships with his children in Texas, illiteracy and
other mental limitations, and disadvantaged upbringing
violation of Vienna Convention on Consular Relations stemming from police
interrogation without first informing Mr. Ortiz and co-defendants of right to
contact Colombian consul
non-capital sentence given to more culpable co-defendants Tello (the
triggerman) and Hinestroza (the kingpin of the narcotics conspiracy)
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