Man Gets Life For Burning Tire Necklace That Killed Woman

GAINESVILLE, Fla.- For the second time, a Gainesville man has been sentenced to life in prison for burning a woman to death by putting a tire around her neck and lighting it on fire. Christopher Beckham, 27, was found guilty in December of the January 2000 second-degree murder of Annette Graham, 47, of Gainesville. Circuit Court Judge George H. Pierce imposed the sentence Monday. Beckham was initially convicted in December 2002, but the verdict was overturned because the court did not explain the manslaughter charge to the jury, which is required in a murder trial. The state attorney's office ordered a new trial. Graham's body was found burning in a field on Jan. 7, 2000, behind a convenience store in Gainesville. Investigators said she was missing her clothes, jewelry and money. State Attorney Bill Cervone said he was pleased with the sentence. "He got a life sentence, and that is what we had requested and expected," Cervone said. "He was tried and convicted before, and he got life, but it was reversed because of an instructional error. So it was our hope that when he was convicted a second time, the outcome would be the same." Beckham's defense attorney John M.Stokes said he already was working on an appeal because of the state law requiring a mandatory sentence. "This is the downside of mandatory-sentencing law. It takes away discretion when judges wish to use it, if that was the case here." During Beckham's trial last year, prosecutors used DNA evidence from blood-stained clothes. Beckham has a criminal history including battery of a law enforcement officer and theft. He was released from the Florida Department of Corrections in 1997.

(AP article here)