PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A judge has ordered that an Ohio man convicted of raping and fatally stabbing a bartender should die by lethal injection.
The (Willoughby) News-Herald (http://bit.ly/V41e89 ) reports that 28-year-old Joseph Thomas was sentenced Monday for the slaying of Annie McSween in 2010.
Prosecutors said Thomas attacked the 49-year-old McSween by her car after she asked him to leave the bar where she worked.
The jury deliberated seven hours before recommending the death penalty earlier this month. Common Pleas Judge Richard L. Collins Jr. followed the jury's recommendation in sentencing Thomas, but could have opted for life in prison instead.
The victim's son, Justin McSween, said "we cannot be happier with the outcome."
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Information from: The News-Herald, http://www.news-herald.com/jrc-html/index/index_p33.html
