Roy Ellis Sentenced To Death
An Omaha man convicted of killing a 12-year-old girl has been sentenced to death. He's the first person to receive the penalty since the Nebraska Supreme Court banned the electric chair as a method of execution.
On Friday, a three-judge panel handed the death sentence to 55-year-old Roy Ellis. Last April, Ellis was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing Amber Harris.
There were aggravating circumstances in the crime, which made Ellis eligible for the death penalty. The state has no legal method of carrying out the sentence.
The state Supreme Court ruled last year that electrocution, Nebraska's only method of execution, was a cruel and unusual punishment.
The Legislature is considering a bill for lethal injection.
