FORT WORTH -- A Tarrant County jury deciding whether to sentence convicted killer Kwame Rockwell to death deliberated for more than seven hours Thursday before breaking for the night.
Visiting Judge Elizabeth Berry sequestered the jurors, who were to have dinner together before spending the night in a hotel without access to TV or cellphones.Deliberations are set to resume at 8:30 a.m. today.Prosecutors Kevin Rousseau and Sean Colston, who have called Rockwell a menace to society, are seeking the death penalty. Defense attorneys Mark Daniel and Tim Moore asked jurors to choose life in prison without parole.Rockwell, 36, was convicted last week of capital murder for the fatal shooting of convenience store clerk Daniel Rojas, 22. Jerry Burnett, 70, a Mrs Baird's deliveryman who was stocking shelves, was also shot in the head and died 10 days later.During closing arguments Thursday morning, the courtroom was packed with Rojas' and Burnett's relatives, including Rojas' parents and Burnett's widow, Sue, as well as Rockwell's parents and extended family.Rousseau and Colston described Rockwell as a "cold-blooded" killer who shot the men even though they did not resist.Rousseau dismissed defense witnesses who testified that Rockwell was a kind, compassionate man."Does this justify the senseless slaughter of two people?" Rousseau asked the jury in closing arguments Thursday. "You tell me."Daniel, who appeared to choke up once during his closing arguments, urged jurors to make a decision they can live with in coming years."Do not be misled," Daniel said. "Do not be stampeded."On Wednesday, the defense presented a string of witnesses -- including Rockwell's father, half-brother and cousins -- who testified that Rockwell was a good role model and had helped the less fortunate.His father, Kenneth Rockwell, had one request for jurors."Let him live," he said. "Let God take care of this."To assess the death penalty, jurors must find that Rockwell poses a continuing threat to society and that no mitigating factors in his character or background warrant a sentence of life without parole.Three other men are awaiting trial on capital murder charges in the case.Dianna Hunt, 817-390-7084Twitter: @diannahuntHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
