The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Senica Franklin, who sentenced to two life terms in 2007 for the shooting deaths of a couple whose home was burned in an apparent attempt to cover up the killings.

Franklin was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of arson in Harrison County in the slayings of Brenda Mason and Ronnie Brock in 2001. He was sentenced two terms of life without parole and to 20 years for arson.

According to the court record, prosecution witnesses who were incarcerated with Franklin at the Harrison County jail testified that Franklin told them he killed the couple.

The state Court of Appeals Court upheld Franklin’s conviction in April.