Pierre man asks Supreme Court for new trial in murder case

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) A Pierre man convicted of killing his wife is asking the South Dakota Supreme Court to overturn his murder conviction and give him a new trial.

The appeal filed by Brad Reay (REE-ah) argues his conviction should be thrown out because the judge in his first trial made rulings that hampered his attempt to convince the jury that the couple's daughter was the murderer.

The appeal says the trial judge refused to issue a jury instruction that would have helped Reay argue that he only sought to cover up for his 12-year-old daughter. It says if the instruction had been given, the jury might have acquitted Reay.

The state's written arguments will be filed next month.

A jury last year convicted Reay of first-degree murder for the stabbing death of his 41-year-old wife, Tami, in February 2006.

(By AP Writer Chet Brokaw) (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 03-22-08 1618CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list