DOVER, Del. (AP) - A Delaware court commissioner is recommending that a judge dismiss the latest appeal by a man serving life in prison for a fatal shooting at a church fundraiser.
Seventy-year-old Monir George was found guilty but mentally ill after killing 63-year-old Malak Michael in 2008 at a fundraiser for St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Delaware.
George was a former member of the church and reportedly had blamed some of its members for his failed marriage.
George filed a third motion for post-conviction relief in March. He argued that the state’s failure to disclose all available witnesses and the prosecutor’s conduct in a different case amounted to newly discovered evidence that justifies vacating his conviction.
The commissioner on Monday ruled that George’s motion presented no new evidence and was both untimely and repetitive.
Michael was gunned down at a fundraising event inside a banquet room at the Christiana Hilton in Newark.
The commissioner noted in her ruling that several witnesses saw George shoot Michael, that there was a photo of George pointing the gun, and that the defense acknowledged that George had shot Michael.
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