HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court panel will hear the appeal of a death row inmate who was convicted of hiring someone to kill a woman because he was angry over paying child support to her.
The Daily News Record (http://bit.ly/AlJ2tZ ) reports that the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed earlier this month to hear 33-year-old Ukrainian national Ivan Teleguz' claims that his defense attorneys provided ineffective counsel during his 2006 trial. Teleguz was convicted in the murder-for-hire of Stephanie Sipe in 2001.
In a 100-page opinion issued in August, U.S. District Judge James P. Jones ruled that he would not hear Teleguz' appeal. His attorneys appealed that ruling to the 4th Circuit.
If the federal appeals court denies his claims, an execution date could be set for Teleguz.
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