Former Rare Staff
The 33-year-old Oklahoma man who beheaded a 54-year-old co-worker at the Vaughan Foods plant in Moore, Okla., back in 2014 was convicted of first-degree murder on Friday. The prosecution will seek the death penalty.
Videos by Rare
RELATED: It was them all along: 25 years after their kids died in a fire, “we got justice today”
You may recall the case of Alton Nolen turning into a national controversy when the horrific attack was described as “workplace violence.” It was learned during a taped interview of Nolen by police that he claimed he was “oppressed” and that his actions were justified by the Quran, according to KFOR.
During the trial, prosecutors played these recordings of Nolen, in which he can be heard saying that he doesn’t “regret it at all” and that “oppressors don’t need to be here.”
Nolen was convicted on the beheading of 54-year-old Colleen Hufford, pictured below, and stabbing Traci Johnson.
[protected-iframe id=”953ebd933bde8af216c7ea04d9ac6866-46934866-50986348″ info=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F786153654779890%2Fphotos%2Fa.786234678105121.1073741829.786153654779890%2F786234684771787%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=500″ width=”500″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” scrolling=”no”]
It only took the jury two hours to reach a decision.
Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn said, “Justice for Colleen, that’s all we wanted. Certainly, I was glad that they were able to see that quickly and come back with a verdict.”
By all accounts, Hufford’s murder has been described by witnesses as “something that people shouldn’t have to see.”
Hufford’s daughter, Kelli Hufford, released a written statement on behalf of the family Friday, saying the verdict helps them move toward closure.
“This has been a long road for my family and me,” the statement read. “We are thankful the jury found Alton guilty of murder. All of us now hope for a swift sentencing process concluding with the death penalty for this killer.”
Nolen’s defense argued during the trial that he suffered from schizophrenia and did not have a firm grasp of Islam. The prosecution responded, “Psychosis doesn’t pop up when it’s convenient […] That’s not how mental illnesses work.”
The jury clearly agreed.
RELATED: Police say a man confessed to beheading his aunt after garbage workers found her body
The next stage is Nolen’s sentencing, and the options are either the death penalty or life in prison. The prosecution is seeking the latter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
