A Maricopa County jury handed down the sentence in...

A Maricopa County jury handed down the sentence in the delayed penalty phase in the trial of Ruben Myran Johnson, 24, convicted Nov. 28, 2002, of murdering Stephanie Anne Smith, 31. She was shot to death Nov. 15, 2000, the day she was to testify as a witness to an armed robbery in which Johnson was an accomplice. But the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay in January just as jury selection was to begin in the penalty phase of his trial. The court agreed with Johnson's defense attorney, Bob Storrs, who said he needed more time to research mitigating factors that could spare his client's life. In Johnson's case, he said those could be a brain disorder and mental-health problems. The penalty phase of the trial began in mid-November, ending with Tuesday's death-penalty verdict.