KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Tennessee appeals court has ruled that a man charged in the 2002 dismemberment slayings of a teenage couple in East Tennessee must defend himself in the death penalty case after at least seven changes in defense lawyers and numerous stalling tactics.

The Court of Criminal Appeals in a decision filed Monday sent the case against Howard Hawk Willis back to the court at Johnson City for continued procedings.

The state is seeking the death penalty in the killings of Adam Chrismer and Samantha Leming, both of Chickamauga, Ga.

The boy's head was found in Boone Lake and his hands were found nearby. The girl's remains were found in a Johnson City rental storage unit.

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