Sniper Husband Gets Life Sentence

BACKGROUND: Last March, View reported on the sniper slaying of Diane Newton King, a Battle Creek, Mich., television anchorwoman whose death rocked the nearby town where she lived. Newton King, 34, was shot through the heart Feb. 9, 1991, in front of her two young children as she returned home from a visit to her parents. Nearly a year later, her husband, Bradford King, was arrested, focusing international attention on the town of Marshall.

UPDATE: King, 45, a former police officer, was sentenced last week to life in prison without possibility of parole for killing his wife. King was convicted Dec. 14 of first-degree murder and possessing a firearm in committing a felony. He said he will appeal.

King maintained his innocence, as he did throughout the trial. “What occurred was a conspiracy to convict,” King told Circuit Judge Conrad Sindt. “I have nothing but contempt for you.”

King said the judge erred by not moving the case out of Calhoun County in light of the wide media attention and local pressure to convict him. The judge did not respond to King’s remarks.

Newton King’s family gathered in the courtroom to hear the sentencing, wearing buttons with her picture.

Prosecutor Jon Sahli said in court that one reason King killed his wife was because she wanted to quit her job to stay home with their 3-year-old son and 3-month-old daughter. The children now live with Newton King’s mother and stepfather.