Alpha Man Denied New Murder Trial

An Alpha man convicted of murdering his step-daughter will not get a new trial.

68-year-old Alfred Michael Saario was sentenced two years ago to a prison term of 25 to 40 years.

At his trial, he claimed he shot 29-year-old Jamie Lee James in self-defense. There was a history of bad blood between them.

Saario appealed his conviction, saying that his defense was inadequate, and that the judge’s instructions to the jury were prejudiced against him.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against him, in an opinion released Tuesday.