Killer of Arizona gay man gets life in prison

A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for the beating death of a gay man in 2002. A Pima County, Ariz., superior court jury on January 27 found David A. Higdon guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Philip Walsted, 24. Walsted was found beaten with a baseball bat near his home on June 12, 2002. He died later that day at University Medical Center in Tucson. Prosecutors said the attack began as a robbery but that Higdon's neo-Nazi beliefs led to the murder. Walsted was struck in the head with the bat up to 20 times. On Monday, Judge Frank Dawley sentenced Higdon to "natural life" in prison. He also sentenced Higdon to serve 15 3/4 years for armed robbery. (AP)