The man convicted in the vicious 2002 killing of Ali Kemp at a Leawood swimming pool had his appeal dismissed Thursday.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, upheld the previous decision of a federal district judge in the case of Benjamin Appleby.
Appleby, now 42, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years. His first chance of parole is November 2054, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.
A Johnson County jury found Appleby guilty of capital murder and attempted rape of the 19-year-old college student in 2002 in the pump room of a swimming pool where she worked on State Line Road.
Appleby was arrested two years later in Connecticut and confessed to the killing.
The Kansas Supreme Court later upheld the murder conviction and life sentence but dismissed the attempted rape conviction.
A federal judge also denied a subsequent appeal in U.S. District Court, which Appleby then asked the 10th Circuit to review.
Among the issues he raised on appeal were: His confession was not legally obtained; the Kansas Hard 50 sentencing law was unconstitutional; his trial attorney provided ineffective assistance; and Leawood detectives did not have jurisdiction to obtain his confession after his arrest in Connecticut.
On Thursday, the 10th Circuit found that none of his arguments had merit and dismissed the appeal.
Tony Rizzo: 816-234-4435, @trizzkc
This story was originally published September 28, 2017 12:45 PM.