James Hawkins' mum pleaded with the jury to save her only son. Picture courtesy Shelby Country Jail Source: Supplied
- Accused of sexual abuse with daughter
- Convicted of murdering wife
- Cut wife's head off with circular saw
A US jury has given the death sentence to a man who murdered the mother of his three children and then dismembered her body.
It took less than two hours for the Tennessee jury to convict 33-year-old James Hawkins.
Hawkins' 15-year-old daughter, the prosecution's chief witness, had testified that her father repeatedly sexually abused her when she was 12.
The girl said she saw her father stab and strangle 28-year-old Charlene Gaither during an argument on February 9, 2008. Hawkins' two sons, ages 13 and 14, also testified against him.
During the sentencing hearing on Friday, jurors were shown six gruesome photos of Gaither's torso, which had dark grey wounds where the head, feet and hands had been removed.
The girl said she saw her father stab and strangle her mother.
She said he used a knife to force her to help him put the body in a freezer and later she had to hold her mother's head�while Hawkins cut it off with a circular saw.
They also heard for the first time about Hawkins' 17 prior convictions on aggravated robbery and aggravated assault charges.
The defence called witnesses, who testified that Hawkins had an IQ of 77 and suffers from attention deficit disorder.
Hawkins' mother, Della Thomas, told the jury she did not want her only son to die.
She said Hawkins' father, James Hawkins Sr, would hit her and also abuse their daughter.
Ms Thomas said her son's behaviour worsened after his brother was shot dead at the age of 15.
Ms Thomas said she raised Hawkins and his five siblings the best she could as a single mother who had to work to support the family.
"He is my only son," Ms Thomas said. "Like any mother, you don't want your son to die."
Hawkins showed more emotion during the sentencing phase than during the trial.
Yesterday, he would often close his eyes and bow his head.
He could be seen drying his teary eyes during his mother's testimony.
Hawkins did not testify, but he did apologise to Gaither's family.
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