Murder Conviction Affirmed In Iranian Student's Death

HOUGHTON, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan appeals court has affirmed the murder conviction of a man who killed his newlywed wife from Iran before she started graduate school at Michigan Technological University.

Nima Nassiri was convicted of second-degree murder in 2014. He raised many issues on appeal, including claims of an ineffective attorney and a jury influenced by publicity in the Upper Peninsula. But the appeals court wasn't swayed Friday.

Nassiri admits he struck his wife Sanaz Nezami,  but says he didn't intend to kill her in 2013. He's eligible for parole in 2033.

Nezami's family in Iran allowed her heart, lungs and other organs to be given to seven people — an extraordinary donation. Marquette General Hospital communicated with relatives over online video after putting the 27-year-old's name into a Google search.

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