Man recovers after deathbed murder confession

New York: When James Brewer suffered a stroke and thought he was dying, the churchgoing Oklahoma factory worker decided it was time for an extraordinary deathbed confession.

He wanted to unburden himself of the sin he had carried with him for three decades and so his wife summoned police to the hospital. Detectives said Brewer, 58, told them he wanted to "cleanse his soul" and said he shot dead a man he believed was trying to seduce his wife more than 30 years ago.

But Brewer survived the illness and now faces trial charged with the murder of Jimmy Carroll in Tennessee - where the death penalty may await him.

Last week, Brewer and his wife, Dorothy, sold all their possessions in a garage sale and left their modest home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where they had been living under the assumed names of Michael and Dorothy Anderson. They drove to Hohenwald, Tennessee, where he surrendered to the authorities.

Brewer originally was arrested shortly after shooting Carroll, but was released on bail. He told police that he and his wife fled to Oklahoma, where they started a new life, living quietly and becoming pillars of the local church.

Brewer confessed that he bought a gun and shot his neighbour outside a petrol station. Detective Tony Grasso, who heard Brewer's statement, said: "He wanted to cleanse his soul because he thought he was going to the great beyond."

Brewer was charged last Thursday but has yet to offer a plea. The district attorney was said to be considering charges against Mrs Brewer.