The US Supreme Court’s has rejected the appeal of a Michigan prison inmate.
As we hear from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta, she wanted her conviction overturned because she says she got bad advice from her lawyer.
VonLee Nicole Titlow backed out of plea bargain and allowed her case to go to trial. She was convicted of second-degree murder and got a minimum sentence of 20 years. Titlow says she would have taken the plea deal, but for bad advice from her attorney who did not really pay attention to her case.
Joy Yearout is the press secretary for the Michigan Attorney General’s office. She says the Supreme Court recognized that Titlow took a gamble and lost.
“Barring some constitutional violation, you don’t get to claim sour grapes,” she says.
Michigan courts upheld the conviction, but the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed. The Supreme Court said the federal court needed a better reason before second-guessing Michigan’s courts.