he Kansas Supreme Court has upheld the capital murder conviction and life sentence of a Montgomery County man.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the court rejected Christopher M. Lowrance’s argument that he had not attempted to rape the victim, which is one of the standards necessary to establish capital murder.

Lowrance was convicted in the 2007 death of Rachel Dennis. Lowrance said he did not remember killing or trying to rape her.

The high court said in its decision released Friday that although there was no evidence of sexual trauma, testimony showed Lowrance drove an intoxicated Dennis to a place he used for sexual encounters. The victim was found partially unclothed, and her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, meaning she couldn’t give consent to a sexual act.
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Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal