The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction of a Hays State Prison inmate who was convicted of shooting his wife in the back of the head in 2011.

Court evidence was presented in the trial of Shay Alexander Merritt that proved that his wife could not have shot herself, as Merritt claimed. “There was no physical way (his wife) could have shot herself behind the ear with that rifle,” a statement by the Polk County coroner read.

Merritt has been serving a life sentence at Hays State Prison since 2014.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton said in the court’s upholding of Merritt’s conviction, “His defense was based on the theory that the shooting was an accident,” the opinion read. “Based on the evidence presented at trial, the jury was authorized to reject Merritt’s accident theory and find him guilty of the crimes of which he was convicted beyond a reasonable doubt.”