ORLANDO, Fla. – A jury on Tuesday recommended the death penalty for convicted murderer Bessman Okafor.
The jury came to its decision in an 11-1 vote for the death penalty. Okafor was convicted last week for the murder of Alex Zaldivar. The judge will make the final decision on Okafor's sentence at a later date.
Prosecutors said Okafor killed Zaldivar and shot two others in September 2012 to stop them from testifying in a home invasion trial.
For the second day in a row, a juror was dismissed from the case and replaced with an alternate. Tuesday morning, the announcement was made after a juror had to be hospitalized for an illness.
On Monday, a juror was dismissed after telling a judge that she felt threatened when a vehicle followed her as she left the courthouse Friday.
Closing arguments began with State Attorney Jeff Ashton laying out the aggravating circumstances in the case to the jury.
"These people were shot and Alex Zaldivar is dead, because they had the audacity to testify against Bessman Okafor," said Ashton.
Defense attorneys for Okafor argued that he suffers from long-term emotional problems stemming from abuse at a young age.