HOWLAND, Ohio - An inmate on death row who was convicted of a 2001 murder in Trumbull County has had his execution vacated.

According to federal court documents, Nathaniel Jackson, who was sentenced to death for the 2001 murder of Robert Fingerhut in Howland Township had his death sentence vacated with the court granting Jackson's petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

This means a new sentencing proceeding will be held for Jackson. This proceeding will happen 180 days from the issuance of the order, which was issued May 1.

The court concluded that Jackson's sentencing proceeding was "blatantly unconstitutional at its core due to the trial court judge's bias and misconduct, as well as his exclusion at sentencing of relevant mitigating evidence."

Jackson along with Fingerhut's ex-wife Donna Roberts were both convicted in the crime. Evidence showed that the two developed a plan to murder Fingerhut while Jackson was still in prison in Mahoning County.

In 2001, Jackson broke into Fingerhut's home in Howland and shot and killed him. Prosecutors say this plan was detailed in phone conversations, as well as letters between Jackson and Roberts.

Both were sentenced to death.

RELATED COVERAGE: