people

Lawrence Co. jury decides man should get death penalty for ’07 slaying

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A jury deliberated for five hours today before deciding a New Castle man will die for the murder of a city woman.

Gaylord Spell, 46, was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the beating death of SueAnn Brest. Brest’s nude body was found March 1, 2007, in the parking lot of the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center in Shenango Township.

She had been struck in the head 10 times with a blunt object. Two of those blows, to her temples, splintered her skull into star patterns, said the forensic pathologist who conducted her autopsy.

Dr. James Smith testified during the penalty phase of Spell’s trial before Judge J. Craig Cox of Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Judge Cox will formally sentence Spell to death at a later date.

For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com

0 comments:

Post a Comment