Kevin Isom, 58, is continuing to seek relief in federal court — a process that likely will prevent Indiana from subjecting Isom to the ultimate punishment for years to come. But the Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away Isom's request to file a successive petition for post-conviction relief after it determined each Isom's 14 claims already were addressed in prior state court rulings or waived for appellate review. "He cannot show a reasonable possibility he is entitled to relief on these claims.
We decline to authorize the filing of his successive petition," wrote Chief Justice Loretta Rush in the 5-0 order by Indiana's high court. According to court records, Isom's murder convictions and death sentence already were affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2015 following its direct review of the Lake County jury's verdict and death sentence recommendation. The high court in 2021 also affirmed the trial court's denial of Isom's initial petition for post-conviction relief, where Isom challenged specific components of trial as well as the effectiveness of his trial and appellate attorneys, records show.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts The Indiana Supreme Court requires any successive petition for post-conviction relief show a "reasonable possibility" the petitioner is entitled to relief — a bar Isom's repeated allegations of ineffective counsel were insufficient to clear. "Six of Isom's claims .