An emergency motion filed June 5 by the Indiana attorney general’s office was approved Wednesday, stopping an order which would have released convicted murderer John Myers from prison June 15.
Myers has served almost 14 years of the 65-year sentence for killing IU student Jill Behrman while she was out riding her bike May 31, 2000. Her remains were found in 2003 in a wooded area in Morgan County, Indiana.
The May 29 order by U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney approved Myers' request to be released until the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals made a decision on the validity of his 2006 trial. The order cited Myers' fears of contracting COVID-19 while in prison, as he is immunocompromised.
In September 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 May 26. It could take two to six months for a decision.
Jill’s brother Brian Behrman wrote about the decision on Facebook.
“There will never be complete closure for us, but there was a small sense of justice for Jill with the news tonight,” he wrote.
