Wood-chipper judge-killing-plot conviction overturned on appeal

A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of a con man accused of plotting to have a federal judge put in a wood chipper and several other law enforcement officials killed, finding that he was improperly denied the right to represent himself at trial.
The decision this week by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sets the stage for a retrial of John Walthall at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, the latest twist in a case that drew headlines thanks to comparisons to the bloody climax