A man convicted of murder in Delaware County is not entitled to post-conviction relief due to ineffective counsel, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

Phillip L. White sought post-conviction relief for the 2004 hit-and-run killing of Ryan Ylovchan, for which White was sentenced to 55 years in prison.

The appeals court previously affirmed White’s conviction, which he appealed on the basis that his confession was not admissible and that the state failed to provide evidence sufficient for his conviction.

In his bid for post-conviction relief, White said his attorney failed to raise the issue of whether his conviction was constitutional under Article I, Section 16 of the Indiana Constitution, commonly referred to as the Proportionality Clause. White argued that the elements of the crime for which he was convicted were identical to the elements of the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter.

“White cannot demonstrate that his appellate counsel’s performance was deficient. Hence, he likewise cannot demonstrate that he received ineffective assistance from his appellate counsel. We affirm the post-conviction court’s judgment denying White’s petition for post-conviction relief,” Judge Edward Najam Jr. wrote for the unanimous panel.