Federal judge overturns 80s death sentence in stabbing

EVANSVILLE -- A federal judge has thrown out the death sentence for a man convicted of fatally stabbing a woman more than 17 years ago.\nKeith B. Canaan had been paroled from prison about a month before 22-year-old Lori Ann Bullock was attacked inside her apartment and stabbed more than 20 times.\nThe ruling by U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton, which lets stand Canaan's murder conviction, overturned Canaan's conviction for attempted criminal deviate conduct -- a conviction that was needed for a death sentence.\nVanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco said Monday he was frustrated with the judge's decision and was consulting with the Indiana attorney general's office about an appeal.\n"This is the problem with the death penalty. It drags on for over 15 years and then," said Levco as he began discussing specifics of the ruling.\nDefense attorney Thomas Schornhorst said if the ruling was upheld a new sentencing would need to be held for Canaan, who has continued to deny he attacked Bullock.\nCanaan originally was charged with criminal deviate conduct because one of Bullock's stab wounds was to her groin. That indicated a sexual assault, the prosecution argued.\nThe jury convicted Canaan, instead, of attempted criminal deviate conduct. Hamilton ruled the trial evidence indicated the stab wounds were indiscriminate and failed to show Canaan intended to stab Bullock in a sex organ.\nBullock had just moved out on her own to attend beauty school when she was stabbed at the apartment she shared with two other students.