Death sentence given to man convicted of killing New Kensington officer

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (WJAC) — A man convicted in the shooting death of a Westmoreland County police officer was sentenced to death.

According to NBC affiliate WPXI, the sentence for 31-year-old Rahmael Holt was handed down Wednesday morning.

According to prosecutors, Holt was pulled over for a traffic stop by New Kensington officer Brain Shaw in late 2017. Authorities say during that stop, Holt fled on foot before shooting the 25-year-old officer in the chest.

More: New Kensington officer shot, killed while conducting traffic stop

Shaw was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

After Holt's November 2019 conviction, the jury sought the death penalty. The official sentence was handed down by a judge, WPXI reports.

According to WPXI, the death penalty remains legal in 29 states, although four of those states, including Pennsylvania, have a moratorium on executions.

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