The Texas Court of Appeals has upheld the murder conviction of
Colton Pitonyak.

The 24-year-old UT dropout was found guilty last year of killing 21-year-old Jennifer Cave in August of 2005.

His accomplice, Laura Hall, 24, was also convicted and sentenced for tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.

Pitonyaks' attorneys contested the ruling on five points.

Among them: insufficent evidence, Pitonyak's lack of a
competency test before standing trial, and error on the judge's
instruction about considering lesser offenses.

The court over-ruled all five points.

Pitonyak will remain behind bars and serve out the rest of his 55
year sentence.

He is eligible for parole after serving half of that.

Click here to read the full ruling:

TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS