Death sentence upheld

FRANKLIN, Ind. -- A man convicted of killing a Franklin College student has lost his appeal before the Indiana Supreme Court.\nIn a 52-page decision issued late Monday, the court unanimously affirmed the conviction and death sentence of Michael Dean Overstreet in the murder of Kelly Eckart, who was raped and strangled in 1997.\nThe court's decision means Overstreet remains on death row, although it could be years before he exhausts all his appeals and is executed.\nThe court reduced Overstreet's conviction for criminal confinement from a class B to a class D felony, meaning his prison sentence on that charge will be reduced. But that has no effect on his death sentence for murder.\nOverstreet, now 36, was convicted of murder, rape and criminal confinement. The case had been on appeal since shortly after Overstreet was sentenced to death in July 2000.\nThe Supreme Court heard arguments from the attorneys in December 2001. Justices took 14 months to issue a ruling.