Hall's request to withdraw guilty plea is denied

BELLEVILLE -- A St. Clair County judge has denied a woman's request to withdraw her guilty plea in the death of her pregnant friend, the unborn child and the victim's three children.

Judge Milton Wharton ruled Friday that 26-year-old Tiffany Hall didn't file the motion to withdraw her plea within 30 days as required by law.

Hall pleaded guilty in June to four counts of first-degree murder and one of intentional homicide for the death of Jimella Tunstall's 7-month-old fetus. In exchange for Hall's plea, prosecutors agreed to no longer pursue the death penalty. Hall is sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In a motion filed Sept. 19, Hall claimed that she was coerced into pleading guilty because she was threatened by other inmates and denied protective custody.