Convicted murderer Colton Pitonyak may land appeal

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A man sent to prison for one of Austin's most notorious murders could have the chance of a new trial.

The case dates back to summer 2005 when police found Jennifer Cave's dismembered body inside an apartment in West Campus.

Colton Pitonyak was convicted of murder, now serving a lengthy prison sentence.

Laura Hall -- his girlfriend at the time -- is serving a collective 11-year prison sentence for tampering with evidence in the cover-up.

However, Pitonyak's attorneys are taking the first step that could land them an appeal. It's also one that could also end with a new trial.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has just ruled that their claim deserves further review, so the court is granting a hearing.

Pitonyak's lawyers say key evidence was withheld when Hall gave an alleged confession saying she hated the victim.

Pitonyak's lawyers want to use that and other evidence to show that Hall is really the one who killed Cave.

In-Depth: Laura Hall's sentencing

After five years of emotional legal wrangling in the wake of the violent West Campus killing of a UT student, a Travis County jury sentenced Laura Hall on July 2, 2010 to a collective 11 years in prison and $14,000 in fines. 

The sentence was the maximum possible for dismembering Cave's body, for which Hall had been convicted in 2007.

Cave's family began hugging each other as Hall showed little emotion during the verdict.

Hall's father continued to proclaim his daughter's innocence.

The jury gave Hall one year for a charge of hindering apprehension and 10 years for the charge of tampering with evidence. She is expected to serve the two sentences concurrently, and get credit for the two years she's already spent behind bars.

A jury convicted Hall in 2007 of helping former University of Texas student Pitonyak dismember Cave's body in a West Campus bathtub at the Orange Tree condominiums. Pitonyak is serving 55 years for the slaying.

However, the Texas Third Court of Appeals threw out her five-year sentence on Feb. 19, 2009.

In addition, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice rejected on Oct. 28, 2011 Hall's bid for parole.