Judge asked to shut down Oklahoma City attorney handling Ersland's appeal

“There has been a mix-up in the accounting in reference to those,” he said.

“I did get behind on some of the taxes a few years ago. I was making payments on those. For whatever reason, there is a … miscommunication between the firm that was making the collections and the Oklahoma Tax Commission. For whatever reason … those didn't get credited,” he said.

“What we're fussing about is the outstanding amount,” he said.

He estimated he is only behind $5,000 to $6,000 on withholding taxes.

The attorney spoke by cellphone Thursday driving back from visiting Ersland in prison.

Appealing murder conviction

An Oklahoma County jury last year found Ersland guilty of first-degree murder for killing Antwun Parker, 16.

Ersland was a pharmacist employed at the store and was there with two other employees, both women.

In surveillance recordings admitted as evidence at trial, Ersland can be seen shooting the unarmed robber, Parker, in the head inside the pharmacy. Ersland then chases away the other robber who was armed.

Ersland then comes back inside the store, walks over to Parker, who has fallen, gets a second gun and shoots Parker five more times in the body, according to the surveillance recordings. Jurors rejected his claim that he was defending himself and the other employees.

Ersland's pharmacist license expired after he went to prison last year.