GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas appeals court has ruled that a Garden City man can be tried for first-degree murder in a 2011 stabbing death.
The suspect, 32-year-old Fred Schmidt Jr., is a suspect in the March 2011 death of 25-year-old Jeffrey Nichols.
Prosecutors have said Nichols died from 45 separate stab wounds after allegedly fighting with Schmidt.
A Finney County judge previously ruled that there was not enough evidence to bind Schmidt over on a first-degree murder charge, but said he could be tried on second-degree murder.
But the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Schmidt can be tried for first-degree murder.
The Garden City Telegram reports that Schmidt has claimed he stabbed Nichols in self-defense after Nichols attacked him.
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