Text messages between a 38-year-old Kansas man and a 14-year-old girl he’s accused of killing will be allowed as evidence in his murder trial later this month.

Lawyers for Adam Longoria wanted to exclude dozens of text messages he exchanged with Alicia DeBolt after they met at a party in Great Bend. DeBolt’s burned body was found in August 2010 at a Barton County asphalt plant where Longoria worked.

Barton County District Judge Hannelore Kitts on Thursday denied the defense motion.

Prosecutors say Longoria was obsessed with DeBolt, and the text messages over the course of more than a month indicate that. Defense attorneys say prosecutors are blatantly trying to prejudice jurors by presenting the text messages.

Longoria’s trial is scheduled for March 26.