Nov 21, 2008 6:51 pm US/Eastern
Wife Of Slain N.H. Cop Takes The Stand
MANCHESTER, N.H. (WBZ) ―
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Michael Addision (File Image)
WBZ
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Officer Michael Briggs
CBS
The wife of murdered Manchester, New Hampshire police officer Michael Briggs, took the stand on Friday to testify at the sentencing hearing of convicted murderer
Michael Addison.
Jurors are hearing evidence as to whether Addison should get life in prison or the death penalty for shooting and killing Briggs in 2006.
Briggs' wife, Laura, broke down on the stand after seeing a picture of Briggs and his two sons that was taken on New Year's Eve.
She told the jury about the night she found out her husband had been shot. "They told me there was an accident," Laura Briggs said. "They didn't look like things were OK. You could just tell by the looks on their faces that things weren't good."
"I just remember there were people everywhere, lining the hallway and Mike's room," Laura said as she described what it was like in the hospital. "(Mike's) hands were really cold, so I knew it wasn't good."
Defense attorney Richard Guirriero said Addison admits to killing Officer Briggs, but asked the jury for mercy.
"Michael did do those terrible things," Guirriero told the court. "He should die in prison and never get out, but he should not be put to death."
Guirriero said Addison is mentally impaired and blamed a troubled early life for his violent behavior. Michael Addison, he said, was raised by a violent, drug and alcohol-addicted mother.
The defense is expected to call Addison himself to testify during this phase of the trial, presumably to ask for mercy. Addison had offered to plead guilty in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole, but the Attorney General's office rejected the plea offer.
The jury must unanimously find beyond a reasonable doubt that the state proved the required number of aggravating factors and that the defense proved at least one mitigating factor. If the jury then finds the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors, the jury can vote for the death penalty.
The jury always has the option of voting for life in prison.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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