State Supreme Court Upholds Man's Death Sentence

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(INDIANAPOLIS) - For a second time, the Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of the man who raped and murdered a Franklin College student in 1997.

Michael Overstreet still has a round of federal appeals ahead before he can be executed. The court voted 4-1 to reject Overstreet's argument that he should be spared lethal injection because he's mentally ill.

Chief Justice Randall Shepard says the court has twice ruled there's no constitutional ban on executing mentally ill inmates.

Overstreet was convicted of abducting and strangling 19-year-old Kelly Eckart and dumping her body in a ravine near Camp Atterbury.

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