Oklahoma court upholds life prison sentence in woman's death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the life prison sentence of a 25-year-old man convicted of dropping a cinder block on a woman's head to "put her out of her misery" after he had slashed her with a machete.
The court handed down the decision Thursday for Joshua Andrew Reynolds, who was convicted of first-degree murder by a Tulsa County jury in the May 2013 death of 20-year-old Melissa Ann Lemery of Broken Arrow.
Investigators said Lemery's body had lacerations to the arms and blunt force trauma to the face.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Among other things, Reynolds claimed he was denied a fair trial because jurors heard improper testimony and prosecutors committed misconduct during their closing argument. Defense attorney Kristi Christopher did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.