The life of a murderer, described as a "40-year-old
man with an 8-year-old brain, " was spared Friday when
a New Orleans jury unanimously rejected the death
penalty.
That means Christopher Cosse will serve a life
sentence for killing James Reed, 38, and wounding
Reed's wife during an armed robbery in the Fischer
public housing complex last year. The same jury
convicted Cosse of first-degree murder Thursday night.
Prosecutor Laura Schneidau argued that the crime and
Cosse's prior criminal record - he had seven felony
convictions, including two counts of armed robbery -
justified death.
Cosse and Reed were friends. At
6:15 a.m.
on
May 19, 1997, Cosse knocked on Reed's door and asked to speak
with him. Moments later, Reed and his wife, Sharon
Bowlston, were forced into a bedroom at gunpoint.
Cosse shot Reed in the back of the head as he lay on
the floor and shot Bowlston in the face. She testified
Thursday she played dead when Cosse lifted up her arm
to see if she were still alive.
The jury debated Cosse's punishment for 30 minutes
Friday afternoon after hearing several hours of
emotional testimony that sent several people out of
Judge Frank Marullo's courtroom sobbing.
Mark Zimmerman, a forensic psychologist hired by the
defense team, testified Cosse is mentally retarded,
reads at a kindergarten level and has first-grade math
skills. Zimmerman noted that Department of Corrections
evaluators also classified Cosse as mentally retarded
after evaluating him in 1980 when he was jailed for
armed robbery.
Cosse broke down and pounded on the defense table as
defense attorney Jeffrey Smith questioned Zimmerman.
"You mean his brain will never work better, never will
function better?" Smith asked.
The testimony prompted sobs from Cosse and wails from
some of his relatives, including his 10-year-old son.
Marullo then sent the jury out of the courtroom for a
break.
Cosse's mother and sisters begged jurors for leniency.
"I respect your verdict to the highest. But Lord have
mercy, don't give my child the death penalty, " Agnes
Cosse Ross said. "A lot of you may think it is my
fault, but I did the best I could when I knew I had a
special child."
Jurors also heard from the victims' relatives. Sharon
Reed said her brother's death ripped her family apart.
"He was not just a brother. He was an uncle. He was a
father. He was a son."
Reed's wife said she still has a bullet lodged in her
face from the morning Cosse killed her husband.
"How can a man be so cold? Why? Why did he do it?"
Bowlston said. "I hate him with a passion."
