20, Haysom's parents, Derek (born 1913) and Nancy Haysom (born 1931), were murdered in their home in the then unincorporated hamlet of Boonsboro, in Bedford County, Virginia. Six months after the murders, with investigators closing in on the couple, Söring and Haysom fled to England where they lived under assumed names. On 30 April 1986, Söring and Haysom were arrested for fraud after writing over $5,000 ($ today) in fake checks, using false papers, and lying to the police in London, England. Under questioning by British, American, West German and Virginia authorities, Söring confessed to the double murder several times to several authorities, including medical persons. Haysom waived extradition. Söring fought extradition on the basis that the capital punishment and especially the exposure to the so-called death row phenomenon, i.e. the emotional distress felt by prisoners on death row constitute inhuman or degrading treatment as forbidden by Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On 7 July 1989, the European Court of Human Rights agreed with this assessment and ruled in Soering v United Kingdom that extradition to countries where the accused faces the death row phenomenon is unlawful. After this decision, the authorities in Bedford County agreed not to pursue the death penalty, and Söring was extradited to the United States on 12 January 1990. Trial and conviction Haysom pleaded guilty and then testified against Söring. At trial, she testified that Söring committed the murders and that she was an accessory to the crime. Söring was tried for two counts of first degree murder in 1990. According to the prosecution, he committed the murders and Haysom was an accessory before the fact. Söring pleaded not guilty, stating he made a false confession to protect Haysom, as he assumed he would have diplomatic immunity. Söring was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Haysom was sentenced to 90 years imprisonment (one 45-year sentence for each murder, to be served consecutively). She had a mandatory release date in 2032 when she would have been 68 years old, but was released concurrently with Söring and deported to Canada in December 2019. Alleged irregularities Since the trial, Söring has raised several issues regarding his trial: Richard Neaton, Söring's defense attorney, was subsequently disciplined and eventually disbarred for reasons unrelated to Söring's case, and admitted to having had a drug problem while representing Söring; moreover, the judge, William M. Sweeney, knew Nancy Haysom's