Leavenworth ? Charges have been dropped against a convicted murderer in Kansas for crimes he was accused of while awaiting his murder trial.

Thirty-three-year-old Matthew Astorga was jailed in Leavenworth County when he was charged with battering another inmate and a county prison officer in separate incidents.

Astorga was convicted of first-degree murder of Ruben Rodriguez in December, 2008, in Leavenworth. He was sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 50 years.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson says charges in the two battery cases were dropped because the victims didn’t want to proceed. He says the county also wanted Astorga out of its jail because he causes too much trouble.

The Leavenworth Times reports that state corrections records list 18 disciplinary reports for Astorga since October 2009.