PITTSBURGH — The man who tortured and killed a mentally disabled Greensburg woman was sentenced to death by a jury on Thursday.
After over a week of testimony, the jury deliberated for approximately two hours before unanimously deciding Melvin Knight's fate.
Knight, 22, pleaded guilty to torturing and stabbing 30-year-old Jennifer Daughtery to death in February 2010.
The defense argued that Knight's limited intelligence, mental health issues and the fact that Knight pleaded guilty to the murder and apologized for it were reasons for the jury to spare his life.
"Melvin's a young man without any sophistication. He did things he shouldn't have done. Melvin's not perfect, but there are reasons for life," said defense attorney Jeffrey Miller.
During the trial, the prosecution presented rebuttal testimony that portrayed Knight as the opposite.
Jurors saw a short video recorded in January, nearly two years after his arrest, of Knight threatening to kill a Westmoreland County Prison guard and his wife and to blow up their house.
District Attorney John Peck called Knight's crimes "heinous, atrocious (and) depraved."
Channel 11's Courtney Brennan reports that Knight showed no emotion in the courtroom. Jennifer Daugherty's family, meanwhile, cried.
Knight will be formally sentenced Friday at 10 a.m.