Quadruple Murder Conviction Tossed Because of Trial Delays

An Indiana appellate court has tossed a man's conviction for a quadruple murder, saying the trial judge should have granted the defendant's speedy trial motion to dismiss the case.

The Indiana Court of Appeals overturned the 160-year conviction of Jeffrey Pelley, who was accused of using a shotgun to kill his father, stepmother and two stepsisters in 1989, the Associated Press reports. He was convicted in 2006.

In the 2-1 decision, the court ruled that Pelley waited 13 years to be charged then tried not because of defense delays, but because the prosecution pursued an appeal over whether counseling records could be used as evidence.

The state intends to appeal the ruling to the Indiana Supreme Court.