U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal from death row inmate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. — The Supreme Court refused without comment to consider an appeal by Tennessee death row inmate Gregory Robinson.

Robinson was convicted in 1998 of ordering a Memphis gang to kill Vernon Green, an innocent bystander in an argument between two rival gangs, on April 30, 1997.

Robinson’s attorney, Ed Carey of Nashville, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

A state Supreme Court ruling in 2004 reinstated a death penalty sentence for Robinson after a lower court reversed the conviction and sentence.

According to court documents, Robinson told gang members “y’all know what to do” with Green and “take him fishing.”

Green was taken to a park where he was beaten and shot repeatedly, police records show.

Prosecutor Joseph F. Whalen did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.