Death sentence of Altoona man is upheld

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and death sentence of an Altoona man who killed his ex-girlfriend's husband and left him dead in a bedroom closet.

Justice J. Michael Eakin acknowledged in the majority opinion that there were problems in the trial of William Wright III. But he said there was overwhelming evidence that Wright killed James Mowery on Thanksgiving 1998.

Wright dated Mowery's wife, Tammy, while the couple were briefly separated, and fathered a child by her.

Prosecutors say Wright was furious over Mowery's willingness to raise the child as his own. They say Wright shot Mowery several times in the back.

- AP