CARLOS AYALA LOPEZ SPARED DEATH PENALTY IN PUERTO RICO

a jury sentenced a man to life in prison for murder instead of giving him the death sentence sought by federal prosecutors in a case that sparked renewed opposition to capital punishment in the US territory of Puerto Rico.
Carlos Ayala Lopez wept and hugged his attorney after hearing the verdict. Ayala was found guilty three months previously of the 2002 killing of Jose Rodriguez Reyes, a guard at the Veteran's Medical Center in suburban Rio Piedras.
Federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty in some cases because Puerto Rico is subject to US federal law. Federal prosecutors claimed jurisdiction in Ayala's case because the killing took place at a federally run institution.