Updated at 10:08 a.m. with the judge's decision.
A judge has denied Wesley Mathews' request for a new trial.
Mathews was sentenced to life in prison in his adopted daughter's death but he asked for a new trial in the case. He was in court Thursday morning awaiting the judge's decision.
Earlier in August, State District Judge Amber Givens-Davis took the appeal under advisement and spent some time considering both arguments.
In June, Mathews pleaded guilty to injuring a child by omission. His 3-year-old daughter Sherin was found dead in a culvert weeks after she was reported missing in 2017.
Mathews claims the little girl died after she choked on milk and that he placed her body in the ditch near their home.
After the guilty plea in June, jurors decided his sentence of life in prison, a punishment he testified he would willingly serve.
Mathews’ attorneys argued that photos shown to the jury during that sentencing phase were graphic and they prejudice jurors against him.
Prosecutors told the judge they were careful about the photos they chose to enter into evidence.
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More on WFAA:
- Wesley Mathews agreed to serve life in prison, but now he’s asking for a new trial
- Richardson father begins life sentence in death of Sherin Mathews
- Wesley Mathews' attorney intends to appeal, explore all options — including motion for new trial
- Richardson father sentenced to life in death of Sherin Mathews