Judge denies appeal in Columbia arson case

A Columbia man convicted of arson will not have his appeal request approved.

ABC 17 News confirmed on Tuesday that a federal judge denied Christopher Kelley’s request of a re-trial. Kelley was previously found guilty of setting fires inside two buildings on Columbia college campuses.

Kelley was sentenced in 2014 for arson after he set 10 fires inside Ellis Library on the University of Missouri campus. A fire started inside a Stephens College classroom in May 2011 is also blamed on Kelley.

The judge listed the evidence used against Kelley and addressed Kelley’s argument that his attorney had a conflict of interest.

Kelley received the maximum sentence of six and a half years in prison, although prosecutors had pushed for a minimum of 10 years.

You can find more news stories from around mid-Missouri by downloading the ABC 17 News App to your smartphone or tablet.