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Monday, December 16, 2013
(WDNG) - The man found guilty of killing an Anniston police officer in 2011 has been sentenced to death. Calhoun County Circuit Judge Brian Howell on Monday sentenced Joshua Eugene Russell to death for killing Anniston police officer Justin Sollohub in August 2011.
Members of Russell’s family took the witness stand to support the convicted murderer and said they have seen him make changes during his more than two years behind bars. Calhoun County District Attorney Brian McVeigh called Etowah County jail staff to the witness stand and rehashed a 2012 incident at the jail when Russell allegedly used human waste to retaliate against a fellow inmate. McVeigh asked the judge for a death sentence based on Russell’s behavior while incarcerated.
About a dozen Anniston Police Department personnel sat in the courtroom on Monday morning to wait for the sentence and showed little expression when Judge Howell made his decision. Russell was in the courtroom for Monday’s hearing and stayed silent while the sentence was handed down.
A Lee County jury found Russell guilty of capital murder in September for fatally shooting Sollohub during a foot chase in 2011.
Shortly before Monday’s sentence was handed down, Russell’s aunt, Lorna Clark, told the court “we still love him.” Speaking of her nephew, Clark said “he’s still our family.”
It is unclear if Russell’s attorneys will appeal Monday’s sentence.
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Keywords: Joshua Eugene Russell,Justin Sollohub,Anniston police,capital murder,Judge Brian Howell,Calhoun County,Etowah County,District Attorney,Brian McVeigh
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