CORTLAND, N.Y. — A judge has denied an appeal for a Cortland County man who was convicted of brutally murdering his wife more than three years ago.
Keith R. Pottorff, of Cuyler, was convicted in March 2013 of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument.
Authorities filed charges against Pottorff in July 2012 after police found the body of Janet Pottorff in a nearby shed on the property. She was found hogtied, her head enclosed by plastic bags. Her cause of death: asphyxiation.
Prosecutors cited evidence of DNA underneath his wife's fingernails, as well as his evidence that he stole her checkbook and stole several jewelry items. Pottorff has denied any involvement in his wife's death.
In October, the New York State Supreme Court agreed to hear Pottorff's appeal. He argued that he was not given a proper defense by his attorney.
The court's decision cites numerous instances where Pottorff's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel run contrary to what transpired during the trial.
"Defendant advances other instances in which he supposedly received ineffective assistance of counsel but, in short, the record as a whole establishes that he received meaningful representation," the decision reads.
You can read the decision in its entirety below:
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK v KEITH R. POTTORFF (appeal) by Peter Blanchard on Scribd
