Jury Says Death For York County Killer

YORK, Pa. - WGAL.com

York jurors have sentenced Harve Johnson to death for the first-degree murder of a 2-year-old girl.

IMAGES: Go Inside Pennsylvania's Execution Chamber

The jury took about two hours to make the decision to sentence Johnson to death for the fatal beating of Darisabel Baez, which happened in April, 2008.

Killer's Mom Testifies During Sentencing Phase

Monday morning, Johnson's mother said she used to beat him with belts and an iron when he was a child. She said she was a drug user and the family was often homeless.

Most of the morning, Johnson showed little emotion, but when his mother took the stand, he cried. During most of her testimony, he kept his head down on a table.

Johnson did not look up when pictures were shown of his own children, including his youngest, a 4-year-old girl.

Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder on Friday after jurors deliberated for less than two hours.

VIDEO: Convicted Killer Sentenced To Death

Victim Suffered, Pathologist Says

Darisabel Baez died in April of last year after being beaten. She suffered severe head, brain and lung injuries. She had more than 150 injuries from a video game controller, a boot and Johnson's hands, according to testimony offered Monday morning by a forensic pathologist.

During the trial, forensic nurse Patti O'Brien testified about what she saw.

"What I saw was the most horrific thing I've ever seen -- covered from head to toe, badly beaten and unconscious," she said.

The child's murder happened in a house on West Philadelphia Street in York. Johnson lived there with the little girl's mother, Neida Baez.

Baez was present at the time of her daughter's fatal beating. She pleaded guilty last month to third-degree murder. She faces five to 10 years in prison.

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