A 30-year-old Montevallo man will die for his role in the December 2004 murder of a Bibb County man.

Circuit Judge Tommy Jones sentenced Jimmy Lamar Killingsworth Jr. to death Thursday, despite a jury&8217;s recommendation of life in prison without parole.

In March, Killingworth was convicted of three counts of capital murder and one count of assault for shooting 36-year-old Steven C. Spears Jr. and beating his wife, Monica Spears.

The attack took place on Alabama 139, approximately six miles from the Shelby County line on Dec. 10, 2004. The Spears were returning home from a family gathering in Montevallo when a driver of a red SUV pulled alongside their car, while another passenger fired shots into the couple&8217;s driver&8217;s side window.

During trial testimony, Monica Spears said Killingsworth drove the SUV while a second man, Troy Connell, shot her husband in the neck with a shotgun, robbed him and beat her with a chain.

Connell was convicted of capital murder last month and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Connell was 16 at the time of the murder and assault, and therefore is not eligible for the death penalty.

State prosecutors say the sentence brings some closure for the grieving family.

&8220;As we prepare to mark the second anniversary of Steven Spears&8217; brutal murder, the sentence ensures that this family will not have to wait another Christmas for justice,&8221; said Attorney General Troy King, whose office handled the case