INDIANAPOLIS (WDRB) -- A man convicted in the 2000 killing of an Indiana University student has been ordered release from prison by a federal judge.
U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney in Indianapolis ruled Monday that John Myers II's legal representation during trial was so ineffective his Sixth Amendment rights were violated. He ordered Myers' release within 120 days, unless prosecutors opt to retry him.
The now 43-year-old Myers was convicted in 2006 in the killing of 19-year-old Jill Behrman and sentenced to 65 years. The judge wrote in his 147-page ruling that he believed Myers' attorney did not adequately represent him at trial, which violated his Sixth Amendment rights. Patrick Baker was the lead attorney in the case, according to WXIN.
Behrman vanished in May 2000 after leaving her Bloomington home for a bike ride. Hunters found her remains in a field in 2003. Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega said in a statement that he will confer with Behrman's family and Indiana's attorney general before deciding whether to pursue a new trial.
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