Death Penalty Trial Begins for Man Accused of Killing Aunt with Hammer|ABC News 4

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Death Penalty Trial Begins for Man Accused of Killing Aunt with Hammer

posted 09/21/09 5:31 pm

search tags: death • penalty • charleston • trial

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ABC News 4 - Death Penalty Trial Begins for Man Accused of Killing Aunt with Hammer

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Charleston, SC - He is accused of brutally murdering his aunt with a hammer. Monday the death penalty trial against Colin Broughton got underway. But the defense may not put up a fight.

It started at this Huger home in September three years ago. Now, the fate of Colin Broughton sits in the hands of a jury.

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Opening arguments started Monday morning and Solicitor Scarlett Wilson described what she says Broughton did to one of the victims.

“Over and over on the head, more than hitting, beating, beating like she had never been beaten before,” said Wilson.

The defendant sat quiet, a man police say beat his aunt, Shirley Birch to death and raped and assaulted her daughter. Wilson says Broughton admitted to the crimes shortly after he was arrested, including a written confession. Defense attorney Bill McGuire says they don't plan to argue many facts. He did offer one question to the jury.

“We will ask for this much mercy to take your sentence from death to a life in prison, or to put it another way death in prison,” said McGuire.

Colin Broughton did offer a guilty plea in exchange for life in prison, that motioned was over turned. In South Carolina, the only way to be sentenced to death is to first be found guilty by a jury. The trial is expected to end this week, if found guilty, the sentencing phase would follow.

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