By Associated Press - Tuesday, April 4, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The first-degree murder conviction and life sentence given to a Shawnee man have been upheld by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

The court on Tuesday rejected appeals from 22-year-old Austin Olinger that included prosecutorial misconduct, ineffective counsel and improper victim impact testimony.

Olinger was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 2015 shooting death of 25-year-old John Michael Columbus in Shawnee.

Columbus was found slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the back.

Prosecutors said Olinger was among several men who conspired to rob Columbus of marijuana before he was shot.

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