FIRST ON 3: Delgado’s appeal denied

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The state Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the conviction of Tyrone Delgado today. The decision affirms a New Hanover County jury’s verdict passed down two years ago. The jury convicted Delgado for the 1999 murder of FBI secretary Melissa Mooney.

Delgado’s lawyers argued unsuccessfully testimony from other women who claimed he assaulted them should not have been allowed at trial. Delgado will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“It’ll mean that Tyrone Delgado will die in prison,” District Attorney Ben David said. “That is precisely the place he belongs. Prisons were built for men like Tyrone Delgado, and this unanimous decision by the Court of Appeals means he will be there the rest of his natural life.”

Delgado was accused of raping more than a dozen women across the country, but was never convicted of more than a misdemeanor until he was tried in New Hanover County.