KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri appeals court is upholding the original conviction of a Kansas City-area man in the killing of two women.

The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District handed down the opinion regarding the Kylr Yust appeal on Tuesday. It found no error and affirms the trial court’s original judgement.

Last month, attorneys representing the 32-year-old argued his conviction should be overturned and be granted a new trial.

During Yust’s murder trial, the defense argued there was no physical evidence linking Yust to the deaths of 17-year-old Kara Kopetsky in 2007 and 21-year-old Jessica Runions in 2016. They also claimed investigators had tunnel vision when investigating the murders.

Jurors convicted Yust of voluntary manslaughter in Kopetsky’s killing and second-degree murder for Runions’ death.

The manslaughter count carried a 15-year sentence; Yust got a life sentence for murder, but Missouri caps the life sentence at 30 years, effectively leading to the 45 years behind bars.