CLEVELAND, Ohio - Attorneys representing one of the men accused of killing a Warren mail carrier filed a motion Monday asking a federal judge to declare the death penalty unconstitutional.

Thomas Sledge, 44, is charged alongside Kaprise Sledge, 24, in the March 2024 shooting death of U.S. Postal Service carrier Jonte Davis. While federal prosecutors have not yet announced a final decision on whether they will seek capital punishment, the defense team argued in a court filing that the option should be taken off the table before the trial begins.

In the motion filed in U.S. District Court, defense attorneys argue that the death penalty violates the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, as well as the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. They cite concerns about racial discriminat

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