In Bessemer, Circuit Judge Teresa Petelos sentenced...

In Bessemer, Circuit Judge Teresa Petelos sentenced Michael Lee Brown to death for the October 2001 killing of Betty Kirkpatrick, 66. Brown, 27, is already serving life in prison for a robbery conviction. In June, a jury took 30 minutes to convict Brown of murder, and 30 minutes more to recommend that he die for his crime. Brown was convicted of breaking into Betty Kirkpatrick's home, where he robbed her and then smothered her. Police said Brown made away with $91, some costume jewelry and Kirkpatrick's 1986 Thunderbird.