Death penalty given man who killed St. Louis officer in November

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis man was sentenced to death Friday for the 2005 murder of Kirkwood Police Sgt. William McEntee, according to KSDK-TV, www.ksdk.com.

Kevin Johnson, 22, of Kirkwood, was found guilty of first-degree murder in November. The jury recommended the death penalty.

At his trial, Johnson testified that on the day of the killing he was distraught over the death of his 12-year-old half-brother.

Johnson testified he was in a trance-like state when he shot McEntee, a 43-year-old father of three and a 20-year veteran of the Kirkwood department.

On July 5, 2005, McEntee was shot at close range through the passenger window of his stopped patrol car while he was investigating reports of fireworks.

The wounded officer's car rolled a short distance, striking a parked car and a tree. McEntee was shot again after he stumbled out of the car.

His death came about two hours after Johnson's half-brother, Joseph "Bam Bam" Long, 12, collapsed fatally in their home. An autopsy indicated the boy died of a heart defect.

At the trial, prosecutor Robert McCulloch argued that Johnson had accused police of not trying hard enough to save his half-brother and murdered McEntee in revenge.

Two defense witnesses backed the Johnson family's claim that police didn't try to help Joseph.

The trial was the second for Johnson. A deadlocked jury in April prompted the judge to declare a mistrial.