MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee man convicted of homicide this week will testify in the mental illness phase of his trial, against the advice of his attorney.
Seventy-six-year-old John Henry Spooner declined to testify in the first half of his trial. In that phase a jury convicted him of first-degree intentional homicide.
The judge asked him Thursday whether he wanted to testify in the second phase, which is designed to determine his mental competence at the time of the shooting. He said he wanted to make a statement instead.
The defense requested a break so he could be mentally evaluated. A doctor ruled him competent to proceed, and Spooner said he would testify.
Spooner was convicted Wednesday of fatally shooting of his teenage neighbor after accusing the boy of burglary. The trial is now in a second phase to determine his mental competence.
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