Gerald Robinson, the Toledo Catholic priest convicted of murdering a nun, was denied a petition for a new trial in a ruling Monday by Judge Gene Zmuda of Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

The 73-year-old priest is serving a 15 years to life sentence in an Ohio prison after being convicted in May, 2006, for the 1980 murder of St. Margaret Ann Pahl. He contended in an amended petition for post-conviction relief that police reports from

the 1980 investigation that were misfiled and discovered by chance in 2009 could have helped his case in 2006.In Monday’s ruling, Judge Zmuda rejected that claim, saying the 136 documents would have added nothing of significance to the trial.

“Had counsel known of the additional documents, they would have merely possessed more of the same type of information, already disclosed and considered preparing for trial,” Judge Zmuda wrote.

First Published January 9, 2012, 7:46 p.m.