OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A man sentenced to life in prison for the beating death of his toddler daughter has filed a request to be released from prison. Germai Molina filed a petition for habeas corpus on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, saying he is being illegally held. Molina’s plea for relief comes after twice being rejected on appeal by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The state’s high court first rejected Molina’s arguments in 2006 about the effectiveness of his trial lawyer. Last year, the high court rejected Molina’s contention that it had erred in denying his first appeal. Molina was convicted in 2004 of second-degree murder and felony child abuse in Grand Island for the 2003 beating death of his daughter, Diana Molina.