Man facing death in slayings of wife, 2 kids loses appeal

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana man sentenced to death for killing his wife and two teenage stepchildren has lost his latest attempt at an appeal.

Lake County Judge Samuel Cappas and Magistrate Natalie Bokota determined in a ruling issued Friday that Kevin Isom of Gary failed to establish he had ineffective counsel at his murder trial or during the appeals process.

The Indiana Supreme Court earlier upheld Isom's conviction and sentence in the 2007 fatal shootings. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 2013.

His attorneys testified at an evidentiary hearing in March that Isom maintained his innocence and wanted a trial despite signing a written confession. They argued at trial that someone broke into the family's apartment, killed Isom's wife and stepchildren, and left him alive.