MANCHESTER, N.H., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- New Hampshire prosecutors say Michael Addison has been sentenced to die in the first execution ordered in the state since 1959.
Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire formally imposed the sentence Monday for the killing of Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs in 2006, reported WMUR-TV, Manchester, N.H.
Addison, a former gang member with a lengthy criminal record, shot Briggs in the head at close range after Briggs recognized him as a suspect in a recent shooting and tried to arrest him, police said.
Defense lawyers had sought a life sentence, arguing Addison suffered from an abusive childhood and brain damage from his mother's alcoholism while she was pregnant.
Under state law, Addison's conviction automatically will be reviewed by the state Supreme Court.
