EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A 26-year-old man faces the death penalty after being found guilty in the 2012 slaying of a Eugene man.
The Register-Guard reports (https://bit.ly/24OVJzQ ) that A.J. Scott Nelson was convicted of aggravated murder and more than a dozen other felony charges Thursday. A second trial phase to decide if Nelson should be sentenced to death will start Tuesday.
Nelson is the third and last defendant to be found guilty in the kidnapping, robbery and murder of Celestino Gutierrez Jr.
Co-defendant David Ray Taylor is now on Oregon’s death row and Mercedes Crabtree is serving a life sentence.
Nelson’s attorney had previously asked a judge to rule out the death penalty for her client, arguing that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury from his time in the Army.
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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com
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