Man is sentenced to life for killing

Martos has not been sentenced because he could have been used as a witness in other cases.
WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) -- A man convicted for his role in the abduction, robbery and killing of an Ohio medical consultant more than five years ago has been formally sentenced to life in prison.
When Alexander Joseph Martos II pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the December 1999 death of Ira Swearingen, of Stout, Ohio, three years ago, he also agreed to testify against other defendants in the case.
In exchange, the Washington County district attorney agreed to a life sentence for Martos, who could have faced the death penalty if convicted in a jury trial.
Martos, 37, wasn't sentenced until Friday because there was a possibility that he could have been called to testify against nine defendants, the last of whom pleaded guilty to charges last month, District Attorney John C. Pettit said.
Martos testified in just one trial -- that of Gregory Modery, who was convicted in October 2002 of first-degree murder and sentenced to serve life plus 15 to 50 years.
The eight other defendants weren't charged with killing Swearingen, but were accused of helping to rob, kidnap or commit other crimes against him.
Before he was sentenced, Martos made a short statement in which he apologized to Swearingen's family, his own family and the court.
The crime
Prosecutors said Martos and Modery accosted Swearingen outside an adult bookstore along Interstate 70. Prosecutors said the men habitually preyed on the store's customers because they were less likely to call police. Martos confessed to shooting Swearingen hours after he was abducted.
Swearingen's family was not in court when Martos was sentenced, but his brother-in-law, George McGlone, said the family knew what Martos' sentence was going to be.
"That guy's an animal and should spend the rest of his life in jail," McGlone said.