MANNING, S.C. (AP) - A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of killing his 9-month-old son and the child's grandmother in Clarendon County.
The Sumter Item reports a jury found Justin Johnson guilty Thursday of two counts of murder, kidnapping and other charges. He was found not guilty of attempted murder against the child's mother.
Johnson's family asked for mercy at sentencing, but Circuit Judge Jeffrey Young said prosecutors showed Johnson mercy by not seeking the death penalty.
Authorities say Johnson killed 59-year-old Maxine Carraway outside her Manning home in April 2011 and killed 9-month-old Jayden Caraway as he sat in his high chair.
Prosecutors say it was the end of a violent relationship with the baby's mother.
