Appeals Court Upholds Conviction In Hulbert Murder-For-Hire Scheme

Friday, January 26th 2007, 8:39 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) -- The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has upheld the conviction of a Hulbert woman who was found guilty of conspiring to hire a hitman to kill her husband.

A judge sentenced Katherine Robertson in February 2005 to ten years in prison after a jury found her guilty of conspiring to use a telephone in a scheme to hire someone to kill Brett Robertson.

In her appeal, Robertson's attorneys questioned whether the jury received improper instructions and whether the trial court abused its discretion for not holding a hearing on allegations of juror misconduct.

In a 13-page opinion, the appellate court rejected both arguments.

The woman's former employer Hugh Alan Means pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and was sentenced to five years in prison. Means should be released next year.