FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A juvenile services worker says a man convicted of killing a Texas pastor had been committing crimes since he was a teenager.
The testimony came Monday during the punishment phase in Steven Lawayne Nelson s trial.
Nelson was convicted earlier Monday of capital murder for killing Rev. Clint Dobson at Arlington s NorthPointe Baptist Church. He also beat the church secretary before stealing her car.
Tarrant County juvenile services worker Mary Kelleher says Nelson was 14 when sent to a juvenile prison for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and burglary. Other testimony revealed he assaulted a jail guard last year.
Nelson is facing the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Defense attorneys say he had serious family issues, including setting his mother s bed on fire at age 3.
