PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The attorney for a man convicted of raping and killing a 66-year-old grandmother in her Rhode Island home in 1999 says his client should get another chance to argue for his sentence to be overturned.
Jeremy Motyka’s lawyer argued before the state Supreme Court Wednesday that Motyka’s bid for post-conviction relief was wrongly dismissed without an evidentiary hearing. The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2xyJMGR ) that justices noted a previous ruling saying anyone sentenced to life without parole would be entitled to such a hearing.
Prosecutors say the claims were dismissed without a hearing because they were without merit. Among other claims, Motyka said his trial lawyer proved ineffective by failing to get DNA evidence stricken.
Motyka was sentenced in 2001 after being found guilty of killing Angela Spence-Shaw.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com