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Man convicted of capital murder receives life in prisonBy Associated PressEDINBURG—A man convicted of capital murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter was sentenced to life in prison by a South Texas judge after a jury failed to reach a decision in the sentencing phase.The Hidalgo County jury deliberated for about nine hours — from 5 p.m. Tuesday to 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. They were deadlocked 11-1 in favor of the death penalty, the presiding juror who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Monitor in McAllen.The presiding juror told the newspaper that jurors were frustrated and disappointed at the outcome, but that one juror said she could not sentenceLerma to death.“She held her ground from the beginning,” he said. “That’s the system and we have to respect her beliefs.”State district Judge Noe Gonzalez said that since the juiy could not reach a decision, he must sentence Guillermo Lerma to life in prison.“If one juror decided to hold out, maybe they saw something I didn’t,” said prosecutor Joseph Orendain.The jury convicted Lerma, 36, onFriday of kidnapping and killingEstrella Rojas in July 2000 by wrapping 35 feet of duct tape around the child’s face, hands, arms, legs and feet.After hours of police questioning, Lerma led oolice to a ditch north ofEdinburg where he had dumped the body. When police found the child, the body had already started to decompose and was covered in ants.Throughout the seven-day trial, jurors viewed grisly crime scene video and autopsy photos of the child that showed how tight the duct tape was on her face.Defense witnesses testified Lerma was abused for most of his childhood by his stepfather. He was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather as well.In earlier testimony, a defense expert witness, Dr. Kelly Goodness, the chief forensic psychologist for Vemon State Hospital, testified that Lerma was not mentally ill, but suffered from bouts of depression.
Newspaper Details
Texas City Sun
Texas City, Texas, US
Thu, Nov 01, 2001
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 30 May 2023
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