A mistrial was declared when Erie County jurors deadlocked in November, but another jury took just two hours Thursday to convict 47-year-old Donald Howard, of Union City, on second-degree murder, burglary and robbery charges.
Prosecutors say Howard was desperate for money to buy crack cocaine and killed 79-year-old Raymond Goodwill Jr. of Union Township on Independence Day in 2009. Police say Howard later tried to pay a drug dealer with a gag $1 million bill that the victim's relatives said Goodwill always carried in his wallet.
District Attorney Jack Daneri tells the Erie Times-News the murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.
Information from: Erie Times-News
