Convicted triple murderer Daniel Wilkes has been handed down the death penalty. That decision came down shortly before noon Friday from Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge Carl Heldt.
Wilkes's case was originally moved out of Evansville to Clark County where a jury found him guilty of killing Donna Claspell and her two daughters in 2006. The jury was deadlocked over whether to recommend capital punishment. Under Indiana state law, the decision was then up to Judge Heldt. Wilkes is scheduled for execution in January 2009, but the appeals process will most likely change that.
The defense says it could take four to six years before an official outcome is decided.
