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Court Denies Appeal Of Arkansas Man Convicted In Girl's Rape

The Arkansas Court of Appeals has denied an appeal from a man convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl who was later found dead in a drainage ditch.

The court ruled Wednesday that it wasn't improper for a judge to deny Freddie Sharp access to State Crime Laboratory files and other material because he refused to sign a protective order. The court said Sharp could have used the material in court if he'd signed the agreement not to publicly release it.

Sharp was convicted of raping Jessica Williams after she disappeared in 2013. She was later found dead in a drainage ditch, but no one has been convicted in her death.

Another man confessed to Williams' slaying but prosecutors later dropped murder charges, saying "scientific evidence" excluded him as a suspect.

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