BARTOW, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida jury has recommended the death sentence for a 21-year-old man who killed a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.
Sgt. Nick Sottile was fatally shot during a traffic stop near Lake Placid in 2007.
Joshua Lee Altersberger pleaded guilty last month to first degree murder. After four days of testimony, a Bartow jury voted Thursday 9-3 for Altersberger's execution.
Circuit Judge J. Michael Hunter has scheduled a May 8 hearing. Assistant Public Defender Deborah Goins said Altersberger has problems controlling his impulsive behavior and didn't have enough time to consider a “cold, calculated and premeditated” killing.
Sottile's brother says the jury's recommendation is “justice.”
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