The Iowa Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction of a Des Moines man found guilty of beating his girlfriend to death in 2011.
According to the ruling from the Iowa Court of Appeals, Kevin Sellers admits he “had assaulted and beaten Laura Welch in the past,” but Sellers said his intent on the day Welch died was “to beat her like he had done before, not to kill her.”
Sellers argued his lawyers should have been able to discredit a jailhouse snitch who testified against him. The Court of Appeals called the man a “credible witness.” Sellers also has said he believes his attorneys pressured him to avoid a jury trial because they hadn’t prepared a defense. The Court of Appeals ruled the attorneys had been “diligent” in their work representing Sellers.