Court changes killer's sentence to life

HOUSTON (AP) - A condemned inmate from San Antonio has had his death sentence commuted to life after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided he was mentally impaired and ineligible for execution.

The ruling came Wednesday for Timothy Cockrell, who was convicted of the robbery-slaying of Sandra Deptawa, 35.

Deptawa was found bound, gagged, beaten and strangled in the bathtub of her San Antonio home in 1992.

Evidence showed Cockrell was part of a three-man crew that helped Deptawa move into her new home two days before her death. The investigation revealed Cockrell returned under the guise of repairing a table that had been damaged during the move.