WARREN — Nathaniel Jackson, a Howland man on death row for more than two decades, is no longer facing execution after a federal appeals court ruled his original sentencing was unconstitutional because of judicial bias and excluded evidence.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals found Jackson’s 2002 sentencing was tainted by misconduct from the trial judge, who improperly blocked key evidence that could have swayed the jury toward a lesser punishment. As a result, a federal judge on May 1 formally vacated Jackson’s death sentence and ordered Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to hold a new sentencing hearing within 180 days — by late October 2025.

If the prosecutor’s office fails to do so, Jackson’s sentence would default to life in prison. Prosecutors can still seek the death penalty, but the jury will now hear all relevant evidence before deciding.

Donna Roberts, now 61, was convicted of the 2001 murder of her ex-husband, 57-year-old Robert Fingerhut, in Howland. Prosecutors said Jackson, just two days after being released from prison, shot Fingerhut in a plot with Fingerhut’s ex-wife, Roberts, who stood to gain $550,000 from life insurance policies.

At his resentencing, Jackson’s defense team will be allowed to present previously barred mitigating evidence, details about his background, mental health or other factors that might convince a jury to choose life in prison without parole instead of death.

The Sixth Circuit’s March ruling determined that Jackson’s original sentencing was “blatantly unconstitutional” because the trial judge made improper comments and actions that suggested prejudice against Jackson. The court also determined the jury never heard mitigating factors, such as Jackson’s upbringing or mental state, that could have supported a lesser sentence.

Roberts, Jackson’s co-defendant, also was sentenced to death. Jackson remains incarcerated as the state prepares for the resentencing. His legal team has not yet commented on the ruling.

Roberts and Jackson are among seven Trumbull County convicts on Ohio’s death row.