The Louise Woodward verdict has led to the state of Massachusetts rejecting the death penalty. A move to reintroduce capital punishment failed to get through in the state where she was convicted after a member of the House of Representatives changed his mind because of the Woodward case.
"If left me feeling that we can't always be certain that we executed the right guy," said Mr John Slattery (39). "And if we can't be certain of that I have a very big problem with the death penalty."
The vote was tied 80-80 after Mr Slattery's change of mind on the issue. Mr Slattery, a Democrat, said he made up his mind after talking to his constituents in Peabody, near Boston, most of whom were talking about the Woodward case and the jury system.
The state had been poised to introduce death by lethal injection 50 years after the last execution in Massachusetts, one of only 12 states now without capital punishment.
Woodward, who was found guilty of second-degree murder, would not have been at risk of the death penalty under the proposed new laws, even if she had been convicted of murder in the first degree, which the jury rejected.
It would have been brought back for a list of crimes, including the killing of police officers and sexually-motivated murders of children.
The war of words continued over Woodward's conviction yesterday. Judge Hiller Zobel is expected to rule next week on whether to agree to a defence application to free her, order a new trial, or quash the conviction.
Her defence team argued that an independent panel of experts should be appointed to review the medical aspects of the case.
"We have absolutely no fear of subjecting our witnesses, our testimony and our exhibits to such a panel, said her defence lawyer, Mr Harvey Silverglade, who also challenged the District Attorney, Mr Thomas Reilly, to a public debate.
The trial prosecutor, Ms Martha Coakley, dismissed the proposals. "The issues were all explored in the trial," she said. "I don't understand what they want to do. It sounds like they want a second bite of the apple."
Woodward is due to be moved into a cell in the main prison section at Framingham women's jail after undergoing a period of assessment in the prison's health unit.
Another of her defence lawyers, Mr Andrew Good, said yesterday she was feeling a "profound sense of sadness and bewilderment" at what had happened.
"She is a young woman with enormous dignity and strength, and deep religious faith," Mr Good said.