Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Bradley...

Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Bradley Byrne sentenced Christopher Thomas Johnson to death.
On December 11 2006 (see), an Escambia County jury sentenced Johnson to death for killing his 6-month-old son, Elias Ocean Johnson, when the baby would not stop crying on Feb. 20, 2005. According to testimony, Johnson lay on top of the baby, jammed his fingers down the baby's throat and beat him to death.
Forensic tests presented during the trial showed 85 separate injuries to the child.
Johnson, 34, said during trial that he didn't want the baby to wake his wife, but had also testified that he wanted out of his marriage, hated his wife and killing the baby was the best way to hurt his wife. He asked jurors to recommend a sentence of death, and they granted that request.