Locust Grove man convicted in the death of his wife

(Pryor-AP) -- A Locust Grove man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his wife two years ago, even though he didn't pull the trigger. <br><br>A jury found Willis Thompson

Wednesday, November 26th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Pryor-AP) -- A Locust Grove man has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his wife two years ago, even though he didn't pull the trigger.

A jury found Willis Thompson guilty and recommended a life sentence for him.

Key testimony in the case came from Darrell Barnes, Thompson's friend who admits he shot Cheryl Thompson twice on March 4, 2001.

Barnes testified against Thompson saying Thompson wanted his wife dead and was willing to pay $10,000 to have her killed.

Cheryl Thompson was found in a pool of blood on her bed. An autopsy report shows that she had been shot twice in the head with a 22-caliber handgun.

In exchange for his testimony, Barnes was convicted of murder conspiracy and third-degree arson, instead of first-degree murder.

Thompson took the stand after Barnes and said Barnes threatened to kidnap him and kill other members of his family if he told police.