The Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man who kidnapped and murdered a YSU student back in 1985.

According to the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office, the conviction of Bennie Adams in connection with the rape, robbery and murder of YSU student Gina Tenney was upheld following an appeal.

Originally, Adams was sentenced to death for his crimes, but was resentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after 20 years. 

In 2020, Adams filed a petition in federal court raising a number of arguments. All were dismissed except one centered on the affidavit of one of the jurors.

The affidavit alleged that the jurors learned of Adams's prior rape conviction before the case was concluded and that shortly after the death penalty was recommended, a juror approached another juror and told him that Adams was serving a 17-year prison term for a prior conviction.

The trial court held a hearing in June of 2023, where they found that Adams's prior rape conviction was not considered or discovered during the deliberations and denied Adams's request for a new trial.

Adams then appealed that decision and on Thurday, June 27, the appeals court released its opinion concurring with the court's previous findings that the jurors were not made aware of or considered his previous rape conviction during deliberations.

As a result, Adams's appeal was denied and his conviction was upheld. His next parole hearing will be in 2028.