(AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has again denied relief to a man who beat his girlfriend’s 22-month-old daughter to death.

Andre Robinson, of Omaha, was sentenced in April 2008 to life in prison for the November 2006 death of Branesha Thomas.

Prosecutors had said Robinson kicked the girl “like a soccer ball” while he was baby-sitting her and that she died from her injuries.

In 2009, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld Robinson’s conviction of intentional child abuse resulting in death and his life sentence.

Robinson filed for post-conviction relief, a type of motion that is filed after all other appeals have been exhausted. In the motion, Robinson argued he should be released from prison because his lawyer was ineffective.

On Friday, the state’s high court rejected that argument.