TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Tulsa County jury has decided on the death sentence for a 35-year-old man convicted of murdering a woman and her baby in June 2007.
Jurors took about 1½ hours yesterday to determine the sentence for Raymond Eugene Johnson. The jurors convicted Johnson on Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder and first-degree arson in the deaths of 24-year-old Brooke Whitaker and 7-month-old Kya Whitaker.
Investigators say Johnson beat Brooke Whitaker with a hammer, then poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. A medical examiner says Brooke Whitaker died of blunt force trauma and smoke inhalation while Kya died of fire-related injuries.
Court records indicate Johnson pleaded guilty in 1996 to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The state Department of Corrections Web site indicates he was released in 2005.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
