Judge grants new trial for man convicted of murder in 1999

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A New Hanover County judge has granted a new trial to a man who was convicted of murder in 1999, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The DA’s office says Judge Kent Harrell has granted a motion for appropriate relief filed on behalf of Keith Wiley.

Wiley was convicted by a New Hanover County Jury on May 25, 1999 for the first degree murder, first degree kidnapping, and robbery with a dangerous weapon of Ritchie Futrelle. The jury sentenced Wiley to death two days later.

This motion for appropriate relief was handled by the Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the State.

The DA’s Office says Judge Harrell’s order vacates the jury’s conviction and sentence, granting Wiley a new trial.

He will be returned from Central Prison to the New Hanover County Jail as he awaits this new trial, according the DA’s Office.

Wiley is scheduled to appear in New Hanover County Superior Court on at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4.