DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Iowa Court of Appeals is denying a woman's challenge of her convictions in the murder of her daughter Natalie Finn, and the abuse of her siblings.
The judge says Nicole Finn challenged whether her confinement of her children could be considered kidnapping.
Investigators initially discovered that Finn held her children in a single locked room of the house where three of four children were forced to stay. The room was stripped of beds and carpeting, and there were alarms on the windows, so the children couldn't try to escape. They were only allowed out to use the restroom under supervision by Nicole herself, or a fourth child who wasn't kept in confinement.
Natalie died in October 2016 after she was found in the room severely malnourished with a soiled adult diaper.
In her opinion, Judge Anuradha Vaitheswaran states that the children's freedom to move was substantially restricted by force, threat, or deception - clearly meeting the conditions of kidnapping.
Finn was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.
Finn's husband Joseph is also appealing his convictions.
Joseph pleaded guilty to three counts of participating in a felony that caused serious injury. He was sentenced to 30-years in prison.