A man convicted in the 1994 murder of an Essex woman may avoid lethal injection.

The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the sentence of Maurice Mason, who was convicted of raping 19-year Robin Dennis before beating her to death and leaving her body in an abandoned building in the county.

The appeal said the defense team was ineffective and did not conduct enough of an investigation into Mason’s family background.

Mason was convicted based on being the last person seen with Dennis as well as DNA evidence.

The conviction itself was not voided.

Marion County Prosecutor Jim Slagle now must decide whether to file an appeal with the US Supreme Court, the federal courts in Cincinnati, or undertake a new sentencing hearing.