Greenville man gets life sentence for killing mom

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A Greenville man has been sentenced to life in prison for beating his mother to death last year.

A Greenville County jury convicted 42-year-old James Dean Chapman was convicted of murder in the death of 65-year-old Margaret Parker at her apartment.

Chapman told jurors he beat his mother because she hit him in the head with a pot because she smelled alcohol on his breath. He said he didn’t mean to kill his mother, but that they fought and when he got her under control, she was dead.

Police said Chapman had told people he had wanted to kill his mother for 16 years.

Defense attorney Brian Johnson had asked for a voluntary manslaughter verdict, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.