Caption

3rd Portrait

John D. Simmons, Charlotte Observer

Ronald Frye, 42,"I'll be 43 in October", an inmate on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh, is scheduled to die Friday morning for stabbing his landlord to death. Frye's case is interesting because, his appellate lawyers contend, he had terrible legal representation at trial. The lawyer in charge of the penalty phase has admitted to being an alcoholic at the time of the trial. He did no investigation into Frye's background to prepare for trial, hired a psychologist to evaluate him only 11 days before trial and called just two witnesses during the penalty phase. Frye's clemency hearing was held Tuesday.