Death sentence for sex offender who killed prison officer

ANSON, Texas (AP) — A convicted sex offender found guilty of killing a female corrections officer in Texas has been sentenced to death.

A Jones County jury on Tuesday ordered the death penalty for 24-year-old Dillion Compton.

Compton was convicted of capital murder Oct. 15 in the July 2016 slaying of guard Mari Johnson, whose beaten body was found in a storage unit at the Robertson prison in Abilene.

The killing occurred while Compton was incarcerated for aggravated sexual assault of a child in a 2010 attack on a Dallas County girl.

Prosecutors say Johnson suffered blunt force trauma and a crushed throat. Compton was found with scratches on his face and his skin underneath Johnson's fingernails.

Compton's defense attorney said Compton and Johnson had a sexual relationship.