PHOENIX -- A prisoner convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal beating of another inmate in Maricopa County's Fourth Avenue Jail got the death penalty on Tuesday.
Pete Van Winkle, 27, was sentenced to death in the May 1, 2008, slaying of Robert Cotton, 28.
In a separate case, Judge Paul McMurdie sentenced Van Winkle to 22 years in prison for attempted second-degree murder and 2½ years in prison for misconduct involving weapons. Both sentences will run consecutive to the death sentence.
Video surveillance of the beating showed Van Winkle apparently choked the victim, stomped on his neck, and beat his head into the concrete floor. The beating continued even though the victim appeared to be limp and did not appear to be able to offer any resistance. Cotton was later pronounced dead.
During his trial, prosecutors said the key piece of evidence against Van Winkle, who is described as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood in an initial report from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, was a graphic surveillance tape that showed most of the strangulation and beating of Cotton.
The death raised questions about security in the jail because the attack went unnoticed by detention officers for more than 15 minutes.
The county eventually paid $500,000 to settle a $2 million claim filed by Cotton's family.
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