CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) - A jury has recommended life without parole for a 43-year-old man who testified he shot and killed a suburban St. Louis police officer because the officer was white.
KMOX reports that the jury recommended the life sentence Saturday for Todd Shepard. He was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of University City police Sgt. Michael King, who was shot on Halloween night 2008 while sitting in his squad car.
St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch said he planned to seek the death penalty.
Shepard testified he was motivated to seek out and kill a white officer. He described choosing King because he was white and vulnerable in the parked car with the window open.
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Information from: KMOX-AM, http://www.kmox.com