EL PASO, Texas A West Texas man has been convicted in the 2008 carbon monoxide poisoning death of his 81-year-old mother.
The penalty phase resumes Thursday in El Paso for 58-year-old Travis Kirchner, who faces up to 99 years in prison.
Jurors on Wednesday convicted him of murder in death of Patricia Kirchner.
A defense attorney said Kirchner s mother was ailing and she told her son that she wanted to die because of the possible closure of the family s ranch. A court ruling, days before the woman was found dead in her garage, banned commercial traffic on the main road leading to the ranch.
Prosecutors rejected claims that the mother and son were both depressed and had a suicide pact. Travis Kirchner testified he got drunk the night before his mother s death.
