Oklahoma Court Affirms Pharmacist's Murder Conviction, Life Sentence

An Oklahoma appeals court has upheld the first-degree murder conviction and life prison sentence of a pharmacist who claimed he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a would-be robber inside an Oklahoma City pharmacy.

05/17/2013 Related Story: Supporters Launch Petition For New Trial For Jerome Ersland

The Court of Criminal Appeals handed down the decision Thursday in the case of Jerome Ersland. Prosecutors said Ersland was justified in shooting 16-year-old Antwun Parker in the head, knocking him unconscious. But prosecutors say Ersland went too far when he grabbed a second gun and fired five more bullets into Parker's abdomen, wounds that the Medical Examiner's Office said killed him.

In separate decisions, the appeals court reversed the murder conviction and life sentence of a man prosecutors allege helped plan the robbery but affirmed the conviction of a co-defendant in the case.

Related Story: Oklahoma Court Reverses Pharmacy Shooting Conviction