Court Upholds Ga. Cop Killer's Death Sentence

A convicted Georgia cop killer remains on death row, after a federal appeals court rejected his argument that he had ineffective counsel, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, in a 2-1 decision issued Sept. 13, agreed that Robert Wayne Holsey's lawyers didn't do a competent job, but their performance didn't affect the outcome of the trial.

Holsey fatally shot Baldwin County (Ga.) Sheriff's deputy Will Robinson during a traffic stop after an armed robbery at a convenience store in December 1995. Holsey was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to death.

Holsey's lead attorney, Andrew Prince, drank a quart of vodka every day during trial.