New Hampshire Supreme Court Rejects Death-Row Inmate’s Challenge After Capital Punishment Repeal

Michael Addison, aged 46, remains New Hampshire’s only inmate on death row after the state’s highest court rejected his request for a new sentencing review. Convicted of the 2006 murder of Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs, Addison received a death penalty in 2008, before the state repealed capital punishment in 2019. Justice Melissa Countway wrote that the repeal explicitly applies only to crimes committed on or after its effective date, which does not cover Addison’s case.

Justices Patrick Donovan and Bryan Gould concurred, noting that allowing another review would undermine the court’s mandate to limit appellate backlog. The American Civil Liberties Union filed amicus briefs, arguing the execution would make New Hampshire the only state to carry out a death sentence under a repealed law and highlighting potential racial bias. Governor Kelly Ayotte, former prosecutor in the case, said the ruling moves toward justice for Officer Briggs and his family. Addison’s lawyer, Jonathan Cohen, expressed disappointment and indicated a pending appeal in the Merrimack County Superior Court.