WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court has added to its calendar a request that the justices hear the case of a woman convicted and sentenced for killing her Air Force officer husband at their Newton Falls home in 2007.

The court this week docketed the appeal from Claudia Hoerig, 56, a procedural step that means her case has been officially entered into the court's calendar for review. This is the first step toward having a case heard by the nation's highest court. Hoerig is currently serving a life sentence for the aggravated murder of Major Karl Hoerig is asking the court to either acquit her or grant a new trial.

The case began in March 2007, when Karl Hoerig was found shot to death in his home. Investigators said he had been shot three times, and his body was covered with a tarp. Authorities identified his wife, Hoerig, as the suspect after she emptied a bank account and fled to her native Brazil.

After a long legal effort and nearly 11 years as a fugitive, she was returned to Ohio in January 2018 under the condition that she would not face the death penalty, which is unconstitutional in Brazil. A year later, she was found guilty of aggravated murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Since her conviction, Hoerig has filed multiple appeals. Most recently, a federal judge and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit denied her request to pursue a further appeal, ruling there was "no merit" to her claims. The appeals court stated that she had not raised any valid constitutional issues.

In her petition to the Supreme Court, Hoerig challenges the lower court's decision and raises several constitutional claims. Her main argument is that she acted in "sudden passion" during an act of domestic abuse and that the prosecution did not present enough evidence to prove she committed aggravated murder. Her lawyers argue the trial court should have acquitted her and that a lesser charge, such as manslaughter, would have been more appropriate.

Hoerig also claims her constitutional rights were violated due to issues with her legal counsel, a fraudulent extradition from Brazil, and other trial errors, including allegations of judicial misconduct.

For the Supreme Court to agree to hear the case, at least four of the nine justices must believe the case presents an important legal question that needs to be addressed.

Claudia Hoerig remains imprisoned in the Dayton Correction Institution. She is not eligible for her first parole hearing until 2044.