Murderer files new appeal

FARGO (AP) - A man convicted of killing and decapitating a friend in North Dakota in 2001 wants a judge to grant a new trial or throw out his conviction completely.

Dennis Gaede was given a life sentence for the slaying of Timothy Wicks. Wicks' body was found near the Michigan-Wisconsin border in January 2002. Authorities say he was murdered at Gaede's home near Gardner, north of Fargo.

The North Dakota Supreme Court rejected Gaede's appeal last year.

The 45-year-old is now acting as his own attorney. He has filed an application for post-conviction relief in East Central District Court in Fargo.

Gaede says his attorney, Steve Mottinger, should have presented more evidence at trial and should not have kept him from testifying.