in Evansville, Senior Judge William J. Brune changed a man's death sentence...

in Evansville, Senior Judge William J. Brune changed a man's death sentence for killing his estranged wife and 2 children to life in prison, after ruling the man was mentally retarded.
If Brune's new order stands, Paul M. McManus, 33, will spend his life in prison without parole for the 2001 shooting deaths.
Brune ruled May 11 that McManus was not eligible for execution because he was mentally retarded, but he failed to specify whether he deserved a new trial or a new sentencing hearing.
Last week, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter requested clarification from the judge as to what his ruling meant. Brune on Tuesday issued his new order to convert McManus' sentence.
McManus was sentenced to death on May 10, 2002 (see) for shooting his estranged wife, Melissa, 29, and their children, Lindsey, 8, and Shelby, 2, on the same day he was served with divorce papers, Feb. 26, 2001.
Authorities said he confessed to the murders after trying to commit suicide by leaping off an Ohio River bridge.