Byron Smith's attorney files appeal
(KMSP) - The attorney for Byron Smith, who was convicted in the 2014 murder of two teens, has filed for an appeal.
The petition argues Smith's conviction and sentence are unlawful because his right to a fair trial was violated when at a point in the jury trial the district court cleared the courtroom and held closed proceedings.
Last year, the Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed Smith's murder conviction and life sentence.
Smith was convicted in the shooting deaths of 18-year-old Haile Kifer and 17-year-old Nick Brady in the basement of his Little Falls, Minn. home. Smith shot the teens after they broke into his house.