A federal judge in Indiana will not allow the government to seek the death penalty for a man charged with killing a police officer. 

Judge James Patrick Hanlon said last month that the Department of Justice could not reverse its earlier decision against seeking death for Shane Meehan of Terre Haute if he were convicted. 

“With that decision, which the government confirmed was its final decision, the case proceeded on the premise that this was no longer a death-penalty case,” Hanlon wrote. 

Death penalty cases are handled differently, and Hanlon said the reversal three years later would be unfair to Meehan. 

Meehan was charged with premeditated murder of a federal agent in 2021 after prosecutors say he shot and killed Terre Haute police detective Greg Ferency at the FBI office in Terre Haute. 

Meehan’s attorney said he suffers from multiple neurological conditions, including post-concussion syndrome, a seizure disorder, Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain. She argued those conditions would make it difficult to convince a jury to support an execution. 

Prior to killing Ferency, Meehan had no criminal history. 

The government’s decision to change course follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day in office to pursue the death penalty in more circumstances, including the murder of law enforcement officers. 

Meehan still faces two life sentences. His trial is scheduled for August.