At 5:10 Monday afternoon an Horry County jury announced it had found Stephen Stanko guilty of murder and armed robbery in the death of 74-year-old Henry Lee Turner of Conway.
The jury deliberated for just about 30 minutes before returning the guilty verdict. On Wednesday, that jury will return to begin the sentencing phase of the trial, and Stanko could face a second death penalty.
Stanko is already on death row for the murder of his girlfriend Laura Ling in Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County. He also raped and attacked Ling's daughter the same day, and a few hours later, he shot and killed Turner. A jury sentenced him to death for Ling's murder in 2007, but prosecutors tried Stanko for Turner's death in a separate case.
In both trials, Stanko's defense team tried to label him as insane, and they were able to pursue an insanity defense. They claimed Stanko's frontal brain lobes were low-functioning and that he has anti-social personality disorder. Defense attorneys said the frontal lobes of a human brain -- among other things -- helps people distinguish between right and wrong. They claimed Stanko must have been insane to have done what he did.
"Insanity is the only reasonable conclusion when someone kills a friend for no reason," Stanko's attorney, Bill Diggs, said during closing arguments.
The jury could have found him not guilty by reason insanity or guilty but mentally ill, but in the end the jury found him simply guilty.
In S.C., there is a mandatory 24-hour waiting period between the guilt and sentencing phases in capital murder cases, and therefore the jury won't return until Wednesday morning. That sentencing phase could take a few days.
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Verdict reached in Stanko case, waiting for release
NewsChannel 15 has learned that the jury deliberating the fate of Stephen Stanko in his second death penalty trial has reached a verdict. Stanko is accused of killing 74 year old Henry Lee Turner.
The jury is coming back in to the courtroom to announce its verdict and we'll bring that information to you as soon as we have it.
Stanko is already on death row for the murder of his girlfriend Laura Ling in Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County. He also raped and attacked Ling's daughter in 2005. A jury sentenced him to death for that murder in 2007. Stanko's defense team tried the same insanity defense in Ling's murder, but the jury didn't buy it.
Prosecutors say Stanko took Turner's truck after killing him and fled to Augusta, GA, where he was arrested a few days later.
Stay with NewsChannel 15 and CarolinaLive.com as this story develops.
To leave a comment, scroll down and click on "post a comment."
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(4:47pm) Jury deliberates in Stanko trial
At this hour, the jury is deliberating the fate of Stephen Stanko in his second death penalty trial. Stanko is accused of killing 74 year old Henry Lee Turner.
The defense argues Stanko was insane and has anti-social personality disorder. They say part of his brain is low-functioning the part that helps humans distinguish right from wrong.
The prosecution maintains Stanko knew exactly what he was doing and in the past, they have called the defense's tactics junk science.
Stanko is already on death row for the murder of his girlfriend Laura Ling in Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County. He also raped and attacked Ling's daughter in 2005. A jury sentenced him to death for that murder in 2007. Stanko's defense team tried the same insanity defense in Ling's murder, but the jury didn't buy it.
Prosecutors say Stanko took Turner's truck after killing him and fled to Augusta, GA, where he was arrested a few days later.
Stay with NewsChannel 15 and CarolinaLive.com as this story develops.
To leave a comment, scroll down and click on "post a comment."
