LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected the postconviction appeal of a 69-year-old man serving life in prison for the brutal stabbing death of his girlfriend in 2017.
Lucio Munoz had argued in his postconviction motion that his trial and direct appeal attorneys were so ineffective that it violated his right to fair trial. When a lower court rejected his motion without an evidentiary hearing, Munoz appealed.
On Friday, the state's high court ruled that the lower court was right to dismiss the appeal without a hearing.
Munoz was convicted of killing 48-year-old Melissa May, whose body was found in her Scottsbluff apartment Jan. 3, 2017. Police say she had been stabbed 37 times.