LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two convicted murderers who fought Nebraska officials in court for years for the right to marry each other will never have the chance to wed after one of their deaths earlier this year.

The death of 40-year-old Nicole Wetherell in February also ended the court case she and Paul Gillpatrick, 49, had waged since 2014 before any precedent could be established. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed their case Wednesday before deciding the state’s appeal, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Gillpatrick and Wetherell had been engaged since 2011, but officials consistently denied their request to marry because the corrections department was unwilling to transport either of them to the other’s prison for a wedding ceremony, or allow them to marry via video.

Gillpatrick, who is in a Lincoln prison, was sentenced in 2010 to 55 to 90 years for second-degree murder. Wetherell was serving a life sentence at a prison in York for first-degree murder. The two met through a mutual friend in the 1990s.

Wetherell died Feb. 26 with an undisclosed medical condition, officials said.

A U.S. District Judge ruled in the couple’s favor in 2019, but that decision was put on hold while the state appealed.

The head of the Nebraska American Civil Liberties Union Danielle Conrad said the case is a reminder that “justice delayed is justice denied.” The ACLU represented the couple.

“The bottom line is this: Our clients were simply asking for the ability to marry. Marriage is a fundamental right, including for Nebraskans who are incarcerated,” Conrad said.

She said Gillpatrick and his legal team are evaluating his options.