Man sentenced to death for killing Texas police detective

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SAN ANTONIO – A man convicted of capital murder was sentenced Friday to death for killing a San Antonio police detective.

The Bexar County jury deliberated for 7 1/2 hours Friday before recommending the death sentence for Otis McKane after finding him guilty of capital murder in the November 2016 shooting of Detective Benjamin Marconi. State District Judge Ron Rangel accepted the recommendation.

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Prosecutors argued McKane was a sociopath who poses a danger to the community. McKane's attorneys argued otherwise.

As he was being taken to jail following the shooting, McKane told reporters that he “lashed out at someone who didn’t deserve it” because he was upset with the court system. McKane said he was angry because he had not been allowed to see his son during a custody battle.

Extra sheriff's deputies surrounded McKane during the sentencing Friday after McKane attacked a bailiff on July 26 when jurors found him guilty after 25 minutes of deliberation. The jury could have recommended a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.

An appeal of the conviction and sentence is automatic.