Justices won't review appeal from Virginia death row inmate

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't review the case of a Virginia death row inmate convicted of hiring a man to kill his ex-girlfriend.

The justices on Monday declined to take up an appeal from Ivan Teleguz, who claims he should get another chance to show that his defense lawyers were inadequate during his 2006 trial.

Teleguz was sentenced to death in 2006 in the murder-for-hire scheme targeting his former girlfriend, Stephanie Sipe, in Harrisonburg. Since then, two key prosecution witnesses have recanted their testimony.

A federal judge refused to overturn Teleguz's conviction after a new hearing and the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed.

Teleguz was set to be executed on April 13. But the appeals court temporarily halted his execution in March while the Supreme Court considered his case.