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| U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Death Row Inmate's Appeal |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/14/2002 |
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The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a Pennsylvania death row inmate convicted of persuading a teen-ager to kill his girlfriend and her 9-year-old son so the teen could become a professional hitman. John J. Koehler, 41, of Blackwood, N.J., was convicted in 1996 on two counts of first-degree murder for ordering the deaths of Regina Clark, 31, and Austin Hopper, both from Cherry Valley, Ark. William Curley, who was 19 at the time of the slayings, confessed, saying Koehler had planned the murders and helped dispose of the bodies. Koehler told Curley, who was sentenced to life in prison, that the killings would help Curley train to become a professional killer, the teen testified in 1996. Koehler's appeal was rejected by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2000. His execution by lethal injection was stayed by a federal judge to allow Koehler's attorneys to file federal appeals. Koehler's attorneys say there was no physical evidence at trial to tie Koehler to the killings and that Curley made up his story about hit man training to deflect blame. |
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