BRAIN-DAMAGED man convicted of murdering mother

<br>TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A brain-damaged Tulsa man faces a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole after being convicted Thursday for second-degree murder in the death of his mother. <br><br>It

Friday, June 15th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A brain-damaged Tulsa man faces a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole after being convicted Thursday for second-degree murder in the death of his mother.

It was the third trial for Charles Ramsey, after two previous juries couldn't reach a unanimous verdict.

A fisherman found the body of Ramsey's mother, 55-year-old Sandra Ramsey, on March 25, 2000, floating in Lake Yahola. A concrete block was tied to her leg with a bungee cord.

Charles Ramsey, 39, did not testify, but has maintained that he is innocent.

Ramsey could have been convicted of first-degree murder, but the jury chose the lesser charge, which wasn't available in his first two trials.

The case was originally tried in January, but the jury was split 7-5 in favor of conviction. At a second trial in March, jurors were dismissed after fruitless deliberations that spanned more than seven hours.

Ramsey has been in jail since his March 31, 2000, arrest. He suffered brain damage in a 1998 motorcycle crash in Florida and in 1999 moved to Tulsa to live with his mother, with whom he had documented problems.