The New Hampshire Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Michael Addison, the only man in New England on death row.
Addison was convicted of killing Manchester police officer Michael Briggs in 2006. He has appealed his case numerous times, with the state’s highest court declining to rehear it twice in 2024 alone.
But the court has now agreed to hear his latest appeal. Addison's lawyers argue that the state should not be permitted to execute him since it abolished capital punishment in 2019.
There will be no oral arguments in the case; the justices will consider written briefs from the parties. All briefs must be submitted before mid-November.
Gov, Kelly Ayotte, who was New Hampshire attorney general when Addison was convicted, said in a statement to the Union Leader that his sentence should remain in place.
“Commuting his sentence would be a grave injustice and an insult to Officer Briggs’ family and law enforcement,” she said.
