HONOLULU (AP/WBOC)- A former death row inmate from Delaware who pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges in Hawaii asked to defend himself in further court proceedings.
Public defenders for Isaiah McCoy filed a federal motion to withdrawal their counsel, citing a breakdown of the attorney-client relationship, Hawaii News Now reported Wednesday.
In 2010, McCoy was convicted of shooting a Salisbury, Maryland man and was sentenced to death. He spent nearly seven years in prison before being acquitted during a second trial. He then moved to Hawaii, where he is accused of trying to develop a prostitution ring.
Honolulu police received complaints from women that McCoy had been "pimping" them, federal prosecutors said in court documents.
McCoy and his wife, Tawana Roberts, were arrested Jan. 3 in an undercover sting at a Waikiki hotel.
A judge has ordered McCoy to be held without bail.
