The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected further appeals in the case of a Tyrone man serving life plus 24 years for the murder of a 6-year-old boy.
It was seven years ago Wednesday that Nathan Shaw, 32, killed Jared Klein in the home of the boy's mother, who was estranged from Shaw.
Shaw was residing in a pre-release center in Johnstown, where he was completing a prison term for the physical abuse of Jared's mother, Christine Muoio.
On the night of Dec. 26, 2005, Shaw visited Muoio at her Tyrone apartment as a way to make up with her. He sexually assaulted Muoio and stabbed the child.
Shaw fled the Tyrone home in Muoio's car and was on the run for several days, finally being arrested in Oklahoma.
Shaw was sentenced to life without parole plus 24 years for the boy's murder and subsequent crimes.
Another two years was added for assault of a Blair County corrections officer.
Shaw has twice appealed his conviction and sentence.
In 2008, the Pennsylvania Superior Court rejected his appeal for a new trial, noting the verdicts "were based on overwhelming evidence."
Shaw's latest appeal raised 11 questions.
Shaw complained that his first appeals attorney devoted only 60 words of a 10-page appeal to the argument that Shaw's conviction was "against the weight of the evidence."
He challenged the photographs used against him and questioned the effectiveness of his trial attorney's cross-examination of Muoio, who took the stand to dramatically describe Shaw's brutality the night of his visit to her home.
Shaw, through his appeals attorney, Tim Burns, asked the Supreme Court to review the issues of his case.
On Wednesday afternoon, the court denied Shaw an allowance of appeal from the Superior Court decision rejecting the Shaw appeal.
Shaw is being housed at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas.
