ANCHORAGE — A hearing set for today has been canceled in the case of four indigenous men seeking post-conviction relief in the 1997 beating death of a Fairbanks teenager.
Alaska Department of Law spokeswoman Kaci Schroeder on Thursday would only confirm the cancellation in Fairbanks, but declined to say why it was canceled or if it would be rescheduled. The purpose for the hearing also was never disclosed.
Three Alaska Native men and one American Indian man were convicted of killing 15-year-old John Hartman nearly two decades ago. All are still in jail except one who was released on parole earlier this year.
The men are seeking to have their convictions overturned in a civil action. The case was heard in Fairbanks over five weeks this fall, and the judge said he would issue a decision in about eight months.
Two of the men are represented by Bill Oberly with the Alaska Innocence Project. He declined to comment Thursday on the court hearing cancellation.
