Jens Soering, a convicted murderer, sued Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, demanding that McDonnell approve Soering's transfer to a prison in Germany, the Daily Progress reports.

Soering, the son of a German displomat, was convicted for the 1985 stabbing deaths of his former girlfriend’s parents and is serving two life terms.

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said in a letter to a Justice Department official in January 2010 that he authorized Soering’s application for transfer to Germany, but McDonnell wrote to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder a week later to revoke the state’s consent to transfer.

The lawsuit questions whether McDonnell had the authority to reverse the decision of his predecessor.