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Convicted Wife-Killer Harold Henthorn Back In Court, Claims Attorney 'Sold Me Down The River'

(CBS4) - Harold Henthorn, convicted of murdering his second wife, Toni Henthorn, in 2012, will be appearing in a federal courtroom in Denver this week asking that his conviction be thrown out and that he get a new trial, claiming his trial attorney "acted in his own self-interest, was dishonest" and committed fraud in the course of defending Henthorn.

Harold Henthorn, Toni Henthorn
Harold and Toni Henthorn (credit CBS)

His trial attorney, Craig Truman, told CBS4, "We never talk about our cases outside of court." Henthorn has accused Truman of "ineffective assistance of counsel."

A federal jury convicted Henthorn of pushing his second wife, Toni, off a cliff in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2012. Prosecutors theorized Henthorn would have been the beneficiary of $4.7 million in life insurance he had taken out on his wife. Harold Henthorn pleaded not guilty and has always maintained his innocence. A jury convicted Henthorn of murder in 2015 after about 10 and a half hours of deliberation.

Prosecutors and police investigators also believe Henthorn killed his first wife, Lynn, who died in 1995 in Douglas County under mysterious circumstances.

Harold Henthorn, Toni Henthorn
Harold and Toni Henthorn (courtesy to CBS)

Now, Henthorn will try to persuade a judge that he received poor legal representation during his murder trial, and that his conviction should be overturned and he should receive a new trial.

The motion is scheduled to be heard starting Monday in federal court, according to a court clerk. Henthorn will appear virtually from a federal prison in Indiana, where he is currently serving a life sentence for murder.

Todd Bertolet, one of Toni Henthorn's brothers, told CBS4, "Appeals by Harold Henthorn as to the actual merits of the case have been denied and exhausted. This latest motion is yet another example of Harold Henthorn blaming others for his failures and shortcomings."

Henthorn's new attorney, Nathan Chambers, declined to comment on the upcoming hearing.

Harold Henthorn
Harold Henthorn (credit: CBS)

In his statement of claims against Truman, Henthorn wrote that Truman, "acted in his own self-interest and put his personal financial gain ahead of conducting a solid defense for me. His employment with me," wrote Henthorn, "was all about him taking as much money from me and my immediate family as possible, extorting as much money from me as he could."

He said Truman billed him $1,064,772. for his defense. "In return, he provided no defense -- and explained to me only after it was too late -- that he had sold me down the river."

The evidentiary hearing is expected to take two to three days.

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