Labron C. Neal’s defense attorney Paul Christenson filed an appeal Tuesday against the judgment of Oct. 21 that sentenced Neal to life in prison without parole for the murder of two area teens.

On Sept. 9, Neal, 18, of Carbondale was convicted on six counts of first-degree murder in the August 1996 shooting deaths of Terrance Mitchell, 16, of Carbondale, and James Austin Campbell, 15, of Murphysboro.

Neal’s first trial ended in a hung jury on June 24. The jury was deadlocked at a 11-1 vote on a guilty verdict, and Jackson County Circuit Judge William Schwartz declared a mistrial.

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Following the October conviction Christenson said the appeal would be based on four allegations:That Neal did not receive a fair trial because of the media coverage of the case and how it may have influenced jurors toward a conviction;

The court’s denial of a change of venue motion was incorrect;

The late admission of the murder weapon came during a crucial time in the case ad should not have been allowed;

And flimsy evidence did not support the verdict.