WARREN, Ohio - The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Danny Lee Hill's death sentence after an effort to get him off death row.

Danny Lee Hill was convicted for the 1985 killing of 12-year-old Raymond Fife in a field in Warren and has been appealing that conviction for the better part of 20 years.

At the time of the murder, Hill was 18 years old and was sentenced to death. 

It was argued that Hill has a diminished mental capacity and is essentially illiterate.

On Friday, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Hill's appeal to get him off death row.

"On this record, there is no indication that Hill did not understand the nature of the proceedings against him or that he could not consult with defense counsel to assist in his case," Circuit Judge Julia Smith Gibbons wrote. "Although Hill is correct that the record suggests that he was functionally illiterate at the time of the suppression hearing, Hill cites no authority for the proposition that trial courts should equate illiteracy to incompetence."

21 News spoke with Fife's mother who thanked the attorney general's office and Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins for fighting to bring justice. 

The entire decision from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals can be found below.