Following a day-long hearing in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, VA, Judge Michael Urbanski denied William Morva’s request to represent himself in post-conviction proceedings. Jon Sheldon opposed his client’s request, noting that Morva’s serious mental illness represented a complete barrier to effective advocacy on his own behalf. The judge agreed with Sheldon and ordered a competency evaluation of Morva.
Morva was convicted of multiple counts of capital murder arising out of a 2006 incident near Blacksburg, VA in which a sheriff’s deputy and hospital security guard were killed. Sheldon represents Morva in his effort to vacate the convictions on the grounds that he was denied effective assistance of counsel and a fair trial.
