Pennsylvania cop killer Eric Frein sentenced to death

April 27 (UPI) — Eric Matthew Frein was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing a Pennsylvania state trooper and wounding another in a 2014 ambush.

A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 4½ before deciding that Frein, 33, be put to death by lethal injection. In Pennsylvania, juries decide the penalty in first-degree murder cases.

However, it’s not clear if the death sentence will be carried out. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf imposed a moratorium on the death penalty last year. The state’s last execution occurred in 1999.

A judge will issue a formal sentence on Thursday, said Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin.

Frein was convicted last week for the murder of Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II and shooting Trooper Alex Douglass in 2014.

He led authorities on a 48-day Pennsylvania manhunt nearly three years ago and was convicted on a total of 12 felony counts.

Tonkin said the death sentence was “richly deserved” and hopes it brings some comfort to the families of Dickson and Douglass.

“There is a satisfaction that the jurors have delivered full justice in this case,” Tonkin told reporters. “This verdict is for each and every member of law enforcement who dons a uniform and goes out to protect us each and every day,.”

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