Jury upholds convicted killer's death sentence

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A man convicted of killing an Air Force sergeant in 1987 still faces the death penalty. <br/><br/>An Oklahoma County jury on Friday decided Michael Wayne Howell isn't mentally

Sunday, May 29th 2005, 11:53 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A man convicted of killing an Air Force sergeant in 1987 still faces the death penalty.

An Oklahoma County jury on Friday decided Michael Wayne Howell isn't mentally handicapped and upheld his death sentence in the slaying of Charlene Calhoun.

Howell was sentenced to death in 1988 but the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a new sentencing because of misconduct by a juror and deputy sheriff during the trial. His death sentence was upheld in 1996.

The re-hearing stems from a 2002 U-S Supreme Court ruling that mentally handicapped offenders can't be executed because it's considered cruel and unusual punishment.

Howell's IQ tests indicate he may be mentally handicapped.

Jurors were shown videos and transcripts from Howell's original trial that prosecutors said proved he functioned at a much higher level than his tests indicated.