North Supreme Court denies appeal for man convicted of kidnapping, murder

Photo by: Cass County Jail
Photo by: Cass County Jail

(Bismarck, ND) -- The North Dakota Supreme Court is denying an appeal by a man convicted of kidnapping and killing another man.  

John Bridges had appealed his 2012 conviction, saying he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and had received ineffective counsel. The Supreme Court affirmed a ruling by the appellate court that his mental state and competency had been appropriately evaluated at the time of his sentencing.  

The now 52-year-old is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder and 20 additional years for kidnapping. He later pled guilty to attempted murder and received an additional 40 years for stabbing a correctional officer in 2013.