North Dakota Supreme Court denies post-conviction relief for man in prison for murdering woman in Bismarck

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - A man convicted of murdering a woman behind Runnings in Bismarck in 2016 has been denied post-conviction relief by the North Dakota Supreme Court.

In September 2017, a jury found 38-year-old Morris Brickle-Hicks guilty of the murder of Misty Coffelt. In December 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Last month, Brickle-Hicks appealed. His defense attorney argued that his trial counsel was ineffective for not calling the boyfriend of the victim to the stand.

Thursday, a panel affirmed the district court ruling where a judge denied Brickle-Hicks post-conviction relief. They stated that he did not prove deficiency in the case was prejudicial to the defense.

Brickle-Hicks lost a different appeal to this case in 2018.