INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill says a federal judge was wrong to order the release of the man convicted in the 2000 murder of I.U. student Jill Behrman.
Hill released a statement Wednesday explaining why he's appealing a federal court order to release John Myers, who was found guilty in 2006 and sentenced to 65-years in prison.
Behrman disappeared in May 2000 after leaving her Bloomington home to go for a bike ride. Her remains were found three years later.
In late September, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled that Myers received "ineffective assistance of counsel at trial in violation of his Sixth Amendment rights."
READ | Court orders man convicted in IU student's 2000 murder to be released from prison
Myers hasn't been released yet, but he could be if appeals fail.
"In this case, we're talking about someone who shot to death a 19-year-old woman, robbing her of a bright future and separating her forever, as far as this early life is concerned, from friends and family who loved and cherished her," said Hill.
The attorney general says he believes Myers' attorney "met the appropriate threshold of competence," and that Myers received a fair trial.
"While we respect the federal judge's order, we believe that it is wrong as a matter of law and should not be the final word in this important case," said Hill. "Federal law allows for an appellate court to take a fresh look at this case, and we look forward to proving on appeal that John Myers conviction is sound."
