Submitted by Fox First at Ten on December 5th
By By AMANDA LEE MYERSAssociated Press
CINCINNATI (AP) - A federal appeals court panel is considering whether a man who shocked the nation in 1997 by killing three classmates in a Kentucky high school should be allowed to take back his guilty plea and get a trial.
The attorney for 29-year-old convicted shooter Michael Carneal (kar-NEEL') argued Wednesday before the panel in Cincinnati that his client's appeal was timely and should be allowed to proceed.
Corneal has schizophrenia and is arguing that he wasn't mentally competent to plead guilty to the shooting at the time, when he was 15.
The Kentucky Attorney General's Office countered by saying that Corneal filed the appeal too late and that his conviction and life sentence should stand.
The panel is now considering the matter but may not issue an opinion for months.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
