Hearing held on sentence change request for death row inmate Michael Addison

A man sentenced to death for shooting and killing a Manchester police officer in 2006 is continuing to petition for a change in his sentencing.Michael Addison was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs.A new judge has been assigned to Addison's case, and a status hearing was held Friday to provide updates on where things stand.Briggs was shot and killed in the line of duty in October 2006. Addison was convicted in the killing and sentenced to death.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<New Hampshire abolished the death penalty in 2019, and Addison – the state's only inmate on death row – filed a habeas corpus petition in Superior Court a year later. "That's an option for relief for a petitioner or a person that is sentenced illegally based on some sort of constitutional violation," said Assistant Attorney General Audriana Mekula. "So, it's only accessible if you feel your constitutional rights have been violated and you're incarcerated."Addison is arguing that because the Legislature repealed the death penalty, he is no longer subject to that punishment. In 2022, the state filed a motion to dismiss Addison's petition. A virtual status update on the case was held Friday morning, and the court scheduled a hearing on the state's motion for Sept. 23. "There won't be evidence or testimony," Mekula said. "It will really just be the parties arguing the legal boundaries of, did the petition state a claim upon which relief can be granted? That's usually the standard. And if they did not, then that petition will be dismissed. If they did, the petition will move forward to the next stage in the case."Addison has another habeas corpus case in federal court that is currently on hold pending the outcome of this case in Superior Court.