SEATTLE — Serial killer Robert Yates, whose death sentence has been upheld by the state Supreme Court, is seeking an appeal through the federal court system.
The Seattle Times reports he filed a petition Wednesday in Seattle that says his lawyers failed to present evidence of mental illness during his 2002 trial in Pierce County. He was convicted of killing two women in 1997 and 1998 and got the death penalty.
The 60-year-old former Air National Guard pilot from Spokane pleaded guilty in 2000 to 13 other murders in Spokane, Skagit and Walla Walla counties. He was given a sentence of more than 400 years in prison in a plea deal.
