FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A North Texas jury has returned a life sentence for a man who set fire to the home of a police officer’s widow who had given him shelter, killing the woman.
The Tarrant County jury sentenced 55-year-old Cliff Douglas parker Wednesday after finding him guilty last week of manslaughter in the September 2011 death of Betty Roberts. The jury deliberated less than an hour before giving him the maximum sentence.
Prosecutors presented evidence that the 67-year-old widow of a Fort Worth police officer was known in the community as a kindly woman who took in homeless animals and people. Trial evidence showed Parker was drinking one afternoon when he argued with two other people whom Roberts had given shelter, left at Roberts’ request but returned to set fire the fire.
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