Jury Says Child Killer Should Be Put To Death

A jury recommended the death penalty Saturday for a man who beat his 2-year-old daughter to death, then combed her hair and tucked her into bed.

The jury said Maurice Booker should be put to death by lethal injection for the 1994 slaying of Shawntee Ford. Booker, 31, was convicted Friday.

The jury had only one other option: a life prison sentence. Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning does not have to accept the jury’s recommendation. He set sentencing for May 22.

Testifying for the defense, a psychiatrist said the former school boiler operator suffered from delusions worsened by cocaine.

Booker asked for execution after his conviction and said he wanted no arguments made on his behalf.