Tennessee man sentenced to death for 3rd time

May 7, 2016 at 10:30 p.m. | Updated May 7, 2016 at 10:30 p.m.

by Associated Press

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2010, file photo shows the death chamber of the new lethal injection facility at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, Calif. The number of people executed in the United States in 2015 dropped to the lowest level since 1991 as states impose fewer death sentences and defendants in capital cases have access to better legal help. The Death Penalty Information Center, a group that opposes executions and tracks the issue, said 28 inmates were executed this year. That’s down from 35 last year and far below the peak of 98 in 1999. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
FILE - This Sept. 21, 2010, file photo shows the death chamber of the new lethal injection facility at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, Calif. The number of people executed in the United States in 2015 dropped to the lowest level since 1991 as states impose fewer death sentences and defendants in capital cases have access to better legal help. The Death Penalty Information Center, a group that opposes executions and tracks the issue, said 28 inmates were executed this year. That’s down from 35 last year and far below the peak of 98 in 1999. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A man has been sentenced to death for the third time in the killing of his former girlfriend in 1997.

The Commercial Appeal reports Michael Rimmer was convicted Friday in Memphis criminal court of killing Ricci Ellsworth with premeditation. He was sentenced Saturday.

The 50-year-old Rimmer was sentenced to death in 1998, and again at a 2004 resentencing. A new trial was ordered in 2012 after a judge found Rimmer's defense lawyer failed to effectively investigate the case.

Ellsworth disappeared from her job as a motel night clerk in February 1997. The 45-year-old woman's body has never been found.

An execution date has not been set. Rimmer gets an automatic appeal to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Upcoming Events