Woman convicted in shooting denied appeal by state court

A state appellate court concluded a North Lawrence woman convicted of shooting a former boyfriend can't appeal her sentence.

Amy Jo Meacham was convicted in May 2006 on a charge of first-degree assault and was given an eight-year prison sentence. She is serving her prison term at Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills.

She was accused of shooting Brook W. Madlin in the chest as he held their 4-year-old daughter, Emily. The shooting took place Nov. 27, 2004, at his Dayton Road home in the town of Potsdam.

The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Albany on Thursday ruled "that defendant knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived her right to appeal."

Last August, she filed a motion with St. Lawrence County Court to have her conviction tossed. She claimed she was "confused when she pleaded guilty, as her counsel failed to inform her of her constitutional rights."

She also declared "the only evidence connecting her to the crime is the false statement of the victim."

Acting County Judge Kathleen M. Rogers denied her motion in early September, saying it wasn't filed in a timely manner, court records show.

Ms. Meacham has a parole hearing scheduled for December 2011 and has a conditional release date of Feb. 6, 2012, according to state corrections records.