ABILENE, Texas (AP) – Defense attorneys for a Texas prison inmate say he had a sexual relationship with the prison guard he’s accused of killing but contend the guard died of cardiac arrest.
The capital murder trial of 24-year-old Dillion Compton began Monday and his attorneys say Compton and guard Mari Johnson had a months-long relationship that concluded with an argument before her body was found in July 2016.
Prosecutors say Compton was found with scratches on his face and his skin underneath Johnson’s fingernails.
Her body was found in a storage room at the Robertson prison unit in Abilene and prosecutors say she suffered blunt force trauma and a crushed throat.
The defense claims the injuries were sustained when Compton attempted an “aggressive” form of CPR on her.
Compton had been sentenced in 2011 for aggravated sexual assault of a child.
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