HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut Supreme Court has overturned orders for a new trial for a man serving life in prison for the 1996 rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl whose body has never been found.
The high court on Friday released a divided ruling in the case of George Leniart, who was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing April Dawn Pennington, of Montville.
The case was sent back to the state Appellate Court for it to review other appeal issues raised by Leniart, who remains in prison.
The Appellate Court had ordered a new trial for Leniart, concluding the trial judge improperly excluded key evidence including a videotaped interview of a prosecution witness and expert testimony on the reliability of jailhouse informants.
The Supreme Court overturned those decisions Friday.
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