Idaho Man Appealing North Dakota Murder Conviction

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The attorney for an Idaho man convicted of killing a man outside of a strip club in the western North Dakota oil patch hub of Williston says the jury in the case unfairly inferred intent on the part of his client.

Attorney Scott Diamond told the North Dakota Supreme Court on Tuesday that Jonathan Horvath never intended to kill 28-year-old Derrick Spiegel of Williston. Horvath had moved to Williston from Sandpoint, Idaho, to find work in the oil patch. Horvath is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the March 2013 shooting death.

He's appealing his convictions for murder, terrorizing and reckless endangerment. Prosecutor Nathan Madden told justices that video evidence shows Horvath's guilt. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the Supreme Court will rule later.