a jury recommended that Sherman Noble be executed

a jury recommended that Sherman Noble be executed for the murders of Charles Thompson and Lorenzo Harris he committed in 1987. The jury also recommended a life sentence for killing Walker Ison. The 3 men were beaten to death in separate incidents during one week in March 1987. Jefferson Circuit Judge Stephen Ryan will sentence Noble Feb. 7. 
The jury's decision nearly brings to a close a winding journey through mental institutions and prison, numerous attorneys and several competency evaluations for Noble. Noble was declared incompetent to stand trial in 1988 and has spent much of the time since in a mental hospital. In 1997, however, he was found competent. Noble has insisted he is competent and not guilty. On Friday, the jury found Noble guilty of killing Ison, 40, Thompson, 71, and Harris, 87, in their homes.