A man was convicted of first-degree murder Monday in the vicious beating death of another inmate in Maricopa County's Fourth Avenue Jail.

Jurors will return to court Thursday to start hearing evidence about whether 27-year-old Pete Van Winkle should be eligible for the death penalty in the May 1, 2008, slaying of 28-year-old Robert Cotton.

Prosecutors say the key piece of evidence against Van Winkle was a graphic surveillance tape that showed most of the strangulation and beating of Cotton.

The slaying raised questions about security in the jail because the attack went unnoticed by detention officers for more than 15 minutes.

This story continues below
Advertisement

The county eventually paid $500,000 to settle a $2 million claim filed by Cotton's family.

---

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com