Judge to decide if Putt Putt killer will get reduced sentence

A judge will now decide whether to recommend if a Tarrant County convicted killer 's death sentence will be changed to life in prison with the support of the victim's parents.

Paul Storey was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Jonas Cherry during a robbery of a Putt Putt golf course in Hurst in 2008. Cherry's parents took the stand on Tuesday.

Storey's mother, Marilyn Shankle-Grant, reached out to Cherry's parents during the hearing Tuesday to thank them.

"It's very emotional. I was finally able to tell the Cherrys thank you for fighting to save my son's life," she said. "I don't even think there's words to say how grateful that I am for them for coming forward and fighting to save the life of a man that was involved in taking their son's life. It takes true God-fearing, Christian people to do that."

Storey's appeal has put his death sentence on hold for the time being while his attorneys try to get the sentence overturned. They're claiming crucial evidence was withheld from the jury.

Prosecutor Kristy Foran was on the witness stand most of Monday. It's alleged she used an illegal argument in the punishment phase. Judith Cherry was also in court listening intently to testimony.

The DAs office is being forced to answer questions about why a prosecutor told the jury that Cherry’s parents wanted the death penalty when they, in fact, did not.

There is no timeframe for when the judge will make his recommendation. His decision could be within a week or months from now.

In the meantime, the court of criminal appeals will decide whether it agrees with the judge's recommendation. The governor could step in after the fact and have the final say if it reaches that point.