Appeals Court Upholds Jeffery Trevino's Murder Conviction
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Court of Appeals is upholding the conviction of Jeffery Trevino, who was found guilty of murdering his wife.
In January, Trevino's attorney went in front of a three-judge panel at the appeals court to ask for a reduction in Trevino's 27-year sentence, as well as a reversal of the conviction and a new trial.
Trevino was convicted in October 2013 of killing Kira Steger and dumping her body in the Mississippi River.
Trevino's lawyer claimed the jury did not get accurate instructions in the case.
On Monday, the appeals court ruled that the district court "did not abuse its discretion in instructing the jury on circumstantial evidence."
Also, the appeals court said that the district court's aggravated sentence was appropriate, not only because of the concealment of Steger's body, but also because of the "particularly cruel" measures Trevino took to conceal his act.
"By the time Steger's body was discovered, it was deteriorated to the point of being unidentifiable without forensic testing and dental-record comparison," the court ruling said.