A New Jersey appellate court Thursday rejected an appeal by serial killer Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, who was convicted of murdering three women during 2016 and attempted murder of a fourth woman. He was sentenced to 160 years in prison in 2021.

In his appeal, Wheeler-Weaver, of Orange, claimed there were errors by the judge during the trial and that the sentence was “excessive.” However, the appeals court wrote “the enormity of the sentence is amply justified by the horrific nature of defendant’s crimes.”

Wheeler-Weaver’s appeal contended that each victim’s case should have been tried separately, that the “judge improperly instructed the jury on how to consider the evidence of the multiple criminal episodes” and that police violated his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

The appeals court rejected each claim.

While serving his sentence, Wheeler-Weaver was charged in 2022 over the death of a 15-year-old Newark girl who went missing in 2016. Prosecutors said he was convicted of the other murders before he was linked to the death of Mawa Doumbia, who was last seen leaving her home in Newark by her father and sister on Oct. 7, 2016.

Past coverage: The system didn’t care when Robin West disappeared. Now, her murderer faces justice again.

Over 84 days in 2016, Wheeler-Weaver murdered three women – Sarah Butler of Montclair, Robin West of Philadelphia, and Joanne Brown of Newark. Another victim, Tiffany Taylor, escaped. In addition to three murder counts and attempted murder, he was convicted of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, desecration of human remains, and aggravated arson.

The stories of Wheeler-Weaver’s victims and their families were explored in a special report from NorthJersey.com after the trial ended in December 2019.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ serial killer Khalil Wheeler-Weaver has appeal rejected