WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) - Jurors began deliberating Thursday whether a western Pennsylvania man convicted of killing his estranged girlfriend should be sentenced to death or to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Jurors in Washington County took just 75 minutes Monday to convict 26-year-old Jordan Clemons of Pittsburgh of first-degree murder in the January 2012 slaying of 21-year-old Karissa Kunco in Mount Pleasant Township. They began deliberations on the sentence after hearing legal instructions from the judge Thursday morning.
Jurors heard testimony during the trial’s penalty phase that Clemons grew up in an abusive environment, abused drugs, had prior brain injuries, and was affected by his older brother’s death as reasons to give him life in prison.
Prosecutors argued for death noting Clemons’ previous abuse of Kunco and his criminal history.
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