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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ind. Decisions - "Indiana Supreme Court won't consider French appeal"
As listed on p, 2 of the Clerk's transfer list for the week ending March 5, 2010, the Supreme Court on March 4th denied transfer in the case of Anthony W. French v. State of Indiana (18A05-0901-CR-2). The NFP opinion issued Dec. 16, 2009 by the Court of Appeals will stand.
Douglas Walker reports today in the Muncie Star-Press:
MUNCIE -- The Indiana Supreme Court apparently isn't interested in hearing more about the 2008 murder conviction of Muncie resident Anthony W. "Tony" French.Dateline NBC might be willing to lend an ear, however.
A Delaware Circuit Court 3 jury in November 2008 found French, now 48, guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the May 1993 shooting death of his wife, Teresa. The 29-year-old victim's body was found in the garage of her family's West Cromer Avenue home.
Prosecutors said French paid co-defendant Jess David Woods $5,000 to kill his wife, who was pursuing a divorce at the time of her slaying.
French was later sentenced to 80 years in prison by then-Circuit Court 3 Judge Robert Barnet Jr.
Woods, a former Daleville resident who lived in California at the time of his March 2008 arrest, was later convicted of the same charges by another Circuit Court 3 jury and received a 100-year sentence from Barnet's successor on the bench, Linda Ralu Wolf.
Local authorities cracked the case nearly 15 years after Teresa French's death when a mutual acquaintance of French and Woods came forward with details of the murder conspiracy. An ex-wife of Woods also testified that he had confessed to the slaying.
In December, the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld French's convictions. The state Supreme Court last week ruled it would not accept transfer of the case, in effect allowing the appeal court's ruling to stand.
Meanwhile, producers from Dateline NBC have contacted some key players in the French saga, including Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman, to arrange interviews for a segment on the show expected to be broadcast in May.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 10, 2010 08:02 AM
Posted to Ind. Sup.Ct. Decisions