INDIANA – Attorney General Todd Rokita and his team have successfully ensured that the criminal who murdered Indiana University student Jill Behrman in 2000 will remain behind bars.
“The wheels of justice might turn slowly at times, but we take comfort in knowing we have achieved the proper outcome in this case,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This vicious predator attacked and killed a young woman out innocently enjoying a bike ride, and Jill’s family since that time has endured a long and drawn-out investigatory and legal process. They will always mourn their loss, but we pray that God will grant them a measure of closure and peace.”
A U.S. district court this week denied a habeas petition filed by John Myers challenging his conviction for Behrman’s murder.
On Sunday, May 31, Jill Behrman disappeared while riding her bike.
In March of 2003, her remains were found by a hunter in Morgan County. She was killed by a contact shotgun wound to the back of her head.
Myers was arrested and convicted in 2006.
In 2019, the U.S. district court initially granted Myers’s habeas petition, reversing his conviction and ordering a new trial. His attorneys repeatedly pushed for his early release from prison, even citing COVID-19 concerns in 2020. But the Office of the Attorney General successfully appealed that decision, and the case was remanded for more proceedings — leading ultimately to this week’s decision.
Attorney General Rokita thanked his criminal appeals team, and specifically Assistant Section Chief Jesse Drum, for their work on this case.
This week’s court order is linked here.
