An appeals court in Richmond has upheld the conviction of a former naval intelligence officer in the death of his ex-wife.

Jay Lentz was convicted in 2006 of kidnapping resulting in the death of Doris Lentz, a former congressional aide to one-time Tennessee Senator James Sasser. Doris Lentz' body was never found, but her blood-soaked car later turned up in Washington.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed the conviction by a federal jury in Alexandria.

Lentz's conviction came after a five-year legal battle that included his conviction, the reversal of that conviction, a second trial and a dispute about tainted evidence.

Lentz is serving a mandatory life prison term.