Murderer of Payless manager gets life, blames prosecutors and witnesses

The killer of a grocery store manager in Wise County received a life sentence yesterday, while still protesting his innocence, according to this report in the Bristol paper. The defendant denied that he needed money for drugs, saying that "I didn't have to rob or kill to get drugs." The Kingsport paper's report noted the defendant's claim that he was denied bond before trial because the Commonwealth's attorney "wanted me to be in jail so I could be around the other inmates and they could be witnesses,"