(MORGAN CO.) – John Myers, whose murder conviction in the 2000 death of Indiana University student Jill Behrman was vacated last year, will remain behind bars while the case continues, a federal appeals court ruled.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated an order that would have allowed Myers to be released from Indiana State Prison to his family’s home in Ellettsville, according to court documents. Myers is being held in Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
A May 29 order by U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney approved Myers’ request to be released until the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals makes a decision on the validity of his 2006 trial.
In Sept. 2019, Sweeney ordered that Myers be released, stating he received ineffective counsel from attorney Patrick Baker during the 2006 trial. The order gave a 120-day deadline for his release, which was later extended based on a subsequent order from the Indiana Attorney General.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard the appeal against the September order on May 26. It could take two to six months for a decision.
Myers has served almost 14 years of the 65-year sentence for abducting and shooting Behrman while she was out riding her bike on May 31, 2000. Her remains were found by a hunter in 2003 in a wooded area in Morgan County.
