a man convicted of murder in the death of a police officer was sentenced to death...

a man convicted of murder in the death of a police officer was sentenced to death by a jury that initially recommended a life sentence.
The Brunswick County Superior Court jury recommended the death sentence for Darrell W. Maness, 20, in the death of Mitch Prince, 36, who was shot to death Jan. 18, 2005.
Before recommending the death sentence, however, the jury returned to the courtroom about noon, when a clerk announced a jury recommendation of life without parole.
But when Judge D. Jack Hooks Jr. polled jurors, 8 appeared to favor the death penalty and only 4 life in prison.
Hooks directed the jury to continue deliberations. He denied motions for a mistrial sought by defense attorneys, who said the jury was tainted by witnessing reactions in the courtroom to the life sentence recommendation. The jury had convicted Maness of 1st-degree murder Friday.