GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Jurors who convicted a deer poacher of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a central Pennsylvania game warden must now decide whether to sentence him to death or to life in prison without parole.
The Adams County jury deliberated for less than an hour Tuesday before convicting 29-year-old Christopher Johnson of Fairfield in the November 2010 death of wildlife conservation officer David Grove.
Investigators say Johnson and a friend had poached a deer at night when Grove pulled them over on a rural road near Gettysburg. Investigators say a shootout began after Johnson, a convicted felon, vowed never to return to prison.
Defense attorneys were seeking a lesser conviction, arguing that Johnson was too drunk to form the intent to kill.
Jurors return Wednesday to hear more testimony.
