The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected appeals filed by a Texas man on Nebraska's death row for killing two Grand Island men in 2007.

Marco Torres Jr., formerly of Pasadena, Texas, was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges for killing Timothy Donohue and Edward Hall.

Torres claimed some evidence shouldn't have been allowed at his
trial and that the sentencing process shouldn't have resulted in a
death sentence.

The court says in a split decision Friday that jury instructions about some evidence amounted to harmless errors. The court acknowledged the sentencing panel should not have considered mental suffering by one the victims, but that didn't affect the
determination that aggravating circumstances existed for the death
penalty.

Attorney General Jon Bruning says the decision is "one more step toward justice."