EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - An appeals court has denied the request for a third trial for a Washington state man convicted in the 2002 killing of Rachel Burkheimer.
The Daily Herald reports the state Court of Appeals affirmed the aggravated murder conviction last week of John Whitaker, saying there were prosecutor errors but the 2016 trial was fair.
Whitaker was first convicted in Snohomish County Superior Court in 2004 in the death of 18-year-old Burkheimer.
Burkheimer was shot to death by John “Diggy” Anderson. Whitaker was accused of assisting in the kidnapping and helping dig the grave in the in the Cascade foothills.
The appeals court had ordered a new trial for Whitaker after finding problems at the first trial. He was convicted again and sentenced to life in prison.
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Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com
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