John Myers, the man convicted of murdering IU student Jill Behrman more than two decades ago, is requesting a new trial due to 8,000 pages of unreleased documents from the Bloomington Police Department and FBI.
Behrman disappeared while biking around Bloomington May 31, 2000. Her body was found in Morgan County by hunters in 2003.
Myers, who lived near Ellettsville and was accused of violence by former girlfriends, was convicted in 2006.
According to The Herald-Times, Clifford Berlow, who is representing Myers, said in a federal appeals court hearing June 1 that the documents could have been relevant to jurors and should have been turned over to Myers’ trial lawyer.
The State of Indiana argues Myers’ lawyer had access to the documents when the trial took place.
U.S. District Judge James Sweeney vacated Myers’ conviction in 2019 following an appeal three years prior. He said Myers had received ineffective counsel, a violation of the Sixth Amendment. However, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in 2020.
Myers was sentenced to a 65-year prison term but will be eligible for parole in 2037 due to good behavior.
