Sword Stabbing Slayer Gets Life in Prison

A Waco man with a long history of mental illness has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of stabbing a 70-year-old man multiple times with ornamental swords.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports  that a jury Thursday convicted 32-year-old Marcus Jerome Landrum of capital murder in the January 2011 stabbing death of Santiago Gonzalez at Gonzalez's apartment.

Gonzalez had been stabbed 26 times with swords and steak knives from the kitchen. Gonzalez's Chihuahua, Minuet, was killed by a decorative samurai sword that was part of his antique collection.

Since prosecutors weren't seeking the death penalty, Landrum's automatic sentence was life in prison with no chance for parole.

Landrum, who spent time in a state mental hospital to regain his competency for trial, was heavily medicated during the trial.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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