Killer of Tampa cop sentenced to death

TAMPA, Fla. —

A 36-year-old Virgin Islander who killed a Tampa police officer in 2009 has been sentenced to death.

Circuit Judge Emmett Lamar Battles ordered the death penalty for Humberto Delgado Jr. on Friday. He followed the recommendation of the trial jury, which had voted 8-4 for the death penalty.

Delgado was convicted in November of the Aug. 19, 2009, slaying of Tampa police Cpl. Mike Roberts.

Before the sentencing, Roberts' widow, Cindy, called Delgado a coward and told him she hopes that "when your time comes, you, too, will choke on your own blood..."

The 38-year-old officer was killed after trying to stop Delgado as he pushed a shopping cart in a high-crime area of the city. Delgado's attorneys argued that he was mentally ill and should be spared.

Copyright The Associated Press