CLEVELAND -- A jury has recommended the death penalty for Christopher Whitaker, the man convicted of killing 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze in Cleveland last year.
Handcuffs were placed on Whitaker as the sentence recommendation was announced. He showed little reaction.
Whitaker, 45, admitted to the crimes and apologized to Alianna’s family as he read a prepared statement aloud to the court Thursday.
"If I could go back to that day in January, I'd change everything, but I can't, so I have to live each day with the shame, hurt and guilt," Whitaker said. "Although the trial is over, the regret and painful memories will remain with me."
Whitaker’s defense team didn’t contest the charges against him. Instead, his attorneys argued he was remorseful for what he'd done and cooperative with detectives.
DeFreeze went missing from a bus stop in the area of E. 93rd Street and Kinsman Road in January 2017. Her body was found inside an abandoned home on Fuller Avenue. Prosecutors say she had been raped, beaten and tortured prior to her death.