Nebraska High Court Rejects Inmate's Post-Conviction Appeal

LINCOLN (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected the post-conviction appeal of a California man serving life in prison for the 2012 fatal shooting of a Sidney man.

Jason Custer, formerly of Chico, California, was convicted in 2014 of first-degree murder and other counts for killing 35-year-old Adam McCormick, of Sidney. Prosecutors said Custer shot McCormick at a Sidney house after the two men argued over $160 in drug money.

Custer was sentenced to life in prison without parole in March 2014 for the murder of McCormick.

After losing direct appeal, Custer filed for post-conviction relief, arguing his defense attorney was so ineffective that it violated his right to a fair trial. Custer cited several examples, including his claim that his attorney “failed to object at critical junctures throughout the entirety of the trial.”

This state’s high court said Friday that there was no merit to Custer’s claims.