-
Robbery & Murder
September 5, 2012After a day spent heavily inebriated as well as buzzed on marijuana, 18-year old Daryl Renard Atkins and his parter Wiliam Jones abducted Eric Nesbitt from a nearby grocery store. After emptying his wallet of its $60, they drove Eric in his car to a local ATM, where they robbed him of an additional $200. After the robbery, Atkins and Jones drove Nesbitt to an isolated location and killed him after shooting him 8 times. -
Death Sentence
September 5, 2012At the Circuit Court of York, Atkins is sentenced by a jury to death, on account of capital murder charges, as well as armed robbery. -
Mental Retardation Evidence
September 5, 2012During the case, Atkins' side presents evidence that Atkins has an IQ of 59, akin to that of a child between 9 and 12 years of age. Their argument is that Atkins did not understand the nature of his crime, as he is "mentally retarded". -
Verdict of Supreme Court of Virginia (Atkins v. Commonwealth of Virginia)
September 5, 2012The Supreme Court of Virginia reaches a verdict: it upholds the conviction of Atkins on capital murder charges, however it rejects the previous death sentence due to a faulty verdict form. This means that the case will now be heard again in the York County Circuit Court in Virginia. -
Case Re-visits Circuit Court
September 5, 2012The Atkins case is re-heard at the Circuit Court, and the jury finds Atkins guilty. Although he argues that he is mentally retarded and has an IQ of 59, he is given the death penalty for his crimes. -
Supreme Court of Virginia Re-hears Case
September 5, 2012The Supreme Court of Virginia re-hears Atkins v. the Commonwealth of Virginia and upholds the death sentence that the second jury decided. However, two of the justices dissented and argued that mental retardation indicated that a death penalty was not the correct course of action. -
Case reaches Supreme Court
September 5, 2012Atkins v. Virginia is argued for the first time before the Supreme Court. -
Supreme Court Verdict Reached
September 5, 2012In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court holds that the execution of mentally retarded persons is unconstitutional as it violates the Eight Amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause. The 1989 case of Penry v. Lynaugh was overruled in this decision. As a result, Atkins v. Virginia is remanded to the Supreme Court of Virginia. -
Atkins Fails to Prove Retardation
[September 5, 2012](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkins_v._Virginia)At the Circuit Court level, Atkins fails to prove his retardation, and the jury convicts him for a third time. His case is then appealed and brought before the Supreme Court of Virginia. -
Case Remanded to Circuit Court
September 5, 2012The Supreme Court of Virginia denies Atkins' petition to change his sentence to that of life in prison. Using a revised statute of Virginian law, the case is remanded to the Circuit Court of York. The Circuit Court of York is then ordered to conduct a trial to ensure that Daryl Atkins is indeed retarded. -
Atkins Found Mentally Competent
September 5, 2012At the Circuit Court Atkins is found mentally competent by the jury. His verdict is the death penalty. -
Atkins' Supposed Execution Day
September 5, 2012This was the day that Atkins' was sentenced to die by execution for his crimes, However, his case was appealed, and this was avoided. -
Case Remanded Again to Circuit Court
September 5, 2012The Virginia Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Circuit Court of York, whose jury deemed that Atkins had failed to prove that he was mentally retarded. The Virginia Supreme Court found that inappropriate evidence had been brought before the jury at the start of the trial. Plus, according to Virginia law, the prosecution expert witness was unqualified for the job. The case was then sent back to the Circuit Court of York for a second retardation trial. -
The Final Sentence
September 5, 2012 Atkins' case is heard for the last time in the York Circuit Court. He sentence is commuted from the death penalty to life in prison without bail. Judge Smiley was the name of the judge that created the sentence. -
In Re: Nullification Petitions Rejected
September 5, 2012The Virginia Supreme Court rejects the petitions from the prosecutors for prohibition and writs of mandamus. These were filed to nullify the effects of the Judge's decision that Atkin's would face life in prison, without parole, instead of a death sentence. These petitions, had they been granted, would also have forced a another trial to determine Atkins' state of retardation.
