EARLY, Iowa (AP) – An appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of an Iowa mother who shot and killed her 20-year-old neighbor in 2001. The Iowa Court of Appeals denied post-conviction relief Wednesday to Tracey Richter, who’s serving life in prison in the slaying of 20-year-old Dustin Wehde.

Prosecutors contend Richter lured Wehde into her home in the northwest Iowa town of Early, and shot him several times in her bedroom. They say she killed Wehde as part of a plot to frame her ex-husband during a custody battle.

Richter contends she acted in self-defense during a home invasion. She argued her 2011 conviction was tainted by errors by her defense lawyer, the prosecutor and the judge. The three-judge panel says there’s no merit to her allegations and “overwhelming evidence of Richter’s guilt.”