Jerice Hunter case: Arizona Supreme Court won't hear appeal of convicted mother

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Glendale woman convicted in the death of her 5-year-old daughter whose body was never found.

The state's high court denied Jerice Hunter's amended petition for post-conviction relief Tuesday with no added comment.

Hunter was convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse and sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

In 2011, authorities unsuccessfully searched a Phoenix-area landfill for the body of Jhessye Shockley.

Prosecutors say the girl was beaten, neglected and confined to a closet before being dumped in the trash.

They say Hunter had a friend give her a ride to a neighboring city so she could dump a suitcase containing the body in a Tempe garbage bin. She then told authorities that the child was missing.