I didn't get to say goodbye to my son.
All death sentences bring an automatic appeal in Alabama.
Ferguson's grandmother, nursing home worker Frances H. Cummings, who lives near Russellville, was the only family member present in court for him. Given the chance, Ferguson made no comment to the judge before sentencing. He's 1 of 2 men convicted of capital murder in the killings and now sentenced to death. The trial was moved to Mobile because of extensive news coverage in the close-knit north Alabama area where the victims lived and where the crime fueled outrage. District Attorney Gary Alverson told Tompkins that Ferguson deserved the death penalty because evidence indicated he was the 1st to fire on the victims, who were shot to death in Pugh's fishing boat.