Steven Lawayne Nelson sentenced to death for the murder of Rev. Clint Dobson. (Photo: The Dallas Morning News)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The man convicted of killing a pastor in his North Texas church has been sentenced to death.
A jury took little more than an hour to decide to give Steven Lawayne Nelson the death penalty on Tuesday in Fort Worth. The 25-year-old Nelson was convicted of killing the Rev. Clint Dobson at his Baptist church in nearby Arlington last year.
Jurors had the option of sentencing Nelson to death or life in prison without parole.
At trial, prosecutors showed text messages that Nelson sent the day after the killing. In one, he wrote: "I don't mean to brag. I'm a monster."
Nelson's family members have testified about how his childhood was troubled by attention deficit disorder and dysfunctional relationships.
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