Two days before the 20th anniversary of IU student Jill Behrman's death, her family found out the man convicted of her murder is set to be released June 15.
John Myers requested April 7 to be released because a medication he takes weakens his immune system and leaves him more susceptible to COVID-19, according to the Friday ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney.
"The timing couldn't be worse," Marilyn Behrman, Jill Behrman's mother, said Sunday.
Sweeney ordered in September 2019 that Myers be released, stating Myers received ineffective counsel from attorney Patrick Baker during the 2006 trial. The order gave a 120- day deadline for his release, which was later extended based on a subsequent order from the Indiana attorney general.
The appeal to the September ruling was heard in the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday in Chicago.
The Friday ruling will release him on house arrest until a decision is made on the appeal, which is set to come from that court in two to six months. The conditions of his release include no contact with the Behrman family, electronic monitoring and adherence to CDC social distancing guidelines.
Myers has served 14 years of the 65-year sentence for shooting Behrman, who was out riding her bike. Her remains were found in 2003 in a wooded area in Morgan County, Indiana.
Marilyn Behrman said the order for Myer's release is upsetting and unbelievable.
Brian Behrman, Jill Behrman’s brother, shared his feelings about the order on Facebook on Friday evening.
“This was definitely not the way I would have hoped to start the weekend of the 20th anniversary of her disappearance,” he wrote.
