Killer’s widow drops lawsuit against judge

HOUSTON (AP) — A lawsuit filed against a judge who prevented a convicted killer from making a last-minute appeal by not extending office hours has been withdrawn from one court and moved to another, an attorney for the inmate’s widow said Saturday.

The original lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Houston, accusing Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of violating Michael Richard’s rights by preventing his attorneys from filing an appeal hours before his execution.

A notice of dismissal filed Thursday offered no explanation, but on Saturday civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen said that he wanted the suit moved to Austin because that’s where Judge Keller’s court is.

Marsha Richard’s husband, Michael, was executed by lethal injection in September. He was convicted in a 1986 rape and murder, although he insisted he wasn’t responsible for the woman’s death.

Judge Keller refused to allow her court to stay open past 5 p.m. Sept. 25.