RIDGELAND, Miss. (AP) - A Madison County Circuit Court jury has convicted Jonathan Scott Keen of capital murder in the beating death of a handyman and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After a 3-day trial, Madison-Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest said Thursday that jurors found Keen, of Byrum, guilty of killing 50-year-old Kerry Prisock in October 2011.

The Clarion-Ledger reports (http://on.thec-l.com/PurFXZ ) Keen approached Prisock, who was living in his van, and beat him to death during a robbery. After killing Prisock with a hammer, Keen stole the van with Prisock's body still inside.

After his arrest, Keen told authorities he had killed Prisock in self-defense and denied stealing anything from the victim.

Guest says Prisock was a victim of a killer who had no remorse for his actions.

Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com

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