(AP) - A 39-year-old man facing the death penalty in the 1991 slaying of a teenage girl failed to convince the Nevada Supreme Court that the death penalty is unconstitutional.
The state high court issued a unanimous 35-page opinion Thursday rejecting Robert Byford's claims that his trial and appeal attorneys were ineffective and he deserves a new trial.
Byford and Christopher Williams were convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Monica Wilkins. Her charred body was found in the desert outside Las Vegas.
Byford was 20 at the time. Williams was 17. The Supreme Court overturned their convictions once, but they were convicted again and a jury sentenced Byford to death.
Williams is now serving life without parole.