A deadline is approaching in the ongoing appeal of convicted murderer Scott Cheever, but that deadline may well be extended.
Sept. 30 is the current deadline for attorneys on both sides to submit findings of fact, following a six-day bench trial in Greenwood County this past spring. Defense attorney Brianna Harris has requested a 90-day extension, citing staffing issues in the Kansas Capital Habeas Office and Harris’ inability to gain access to key paperwork in the case as a result. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office, meanwhile, is suggesting a 30-day extension.
Cheever shot Greenwood County Sheriff Matt Samuels to death in early 2005 as Samuels was leading a drug raid near Hilltop. Cheever was convicted of capital murder in 2007 and was sentenced to death — along with over 700 months in prison for charges including attempted capital murder, manufacturing methamphetamine and conspiracy to manufacture meth.
Cheever has been through a number of unsuccessful appeals since his conviction. The current appeal is focused on claims of ineffective counsel.
