ELIZABETHTOWN — The jury in the John Franklin Hester murder trial pronounced a sentence of life without parole on Tuesday afternoon for the murder of Randolph Hughes.

The jury left the court room Tuesday at about 10:40 a.m. to begin deliberating his sentence. The jury had the option of giving Hester the death penalty, but instead chose to impose the life sentence.

Due to an incident involving the Hester family, some of Hester’s supporters and members of the jury, the courthouse was in a lock down mode Monday and Tuesday and both side entrances to the courthouse were locked. The only access to the courthouse was through the front and rear entrances and upon entering, each person was searched and officers used hand-held metal detectors.

As a precaution, the jury was escorted to lunch because of the prior threatening gestures made to them by the Hester family and their supporters.

The jury returned to the courtroom at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday with the sentence. Judge Douglas Sasser asked the jury foreperson to give the envelope containing the jury’s decision to the bailiff and he in turn gave it to Sasser. After Sasser read the sentence himself, he asked the defendant to stand. Hester and his attorneys, James Payne and Michael Ramos, stood to hear the verdict.

As Sasser read the sentence aloud, Hester showed no emotion. Many members of Hester’s family, however, cried softly after learning the sentence was life without parole.

After reading the sentence, Sasser polled each of the jurors. He then asked Hester if he had any words for the jury or would like to say anything to them. Hester, with his attorneys, stood and shook his head left to right and without any remorse said, “I want to thank you for sparing my life.”

As the sentencing began 15 Bladen County deputies circled between Hester and the audience in the front of the courtroom. Chief of the Bladenboro Police Department Ronnie Rising and Bladenboro Police Officer Randy Sykes were in the courtroom and one State Trooper. Security was intense due to the tensions in the courtroom.

Hester went into court with eight priors and has served time in jail before for probation violations. The jury selection began on May 18 and the trial got under way in early July and lasted about ten days. The jurors reached their guilty verdict on Wednesday, July 15. On Thursday, July 16, the sentencing phase began and ended Tuesday, July 21.

On Thursday afternoon Sasser cleared the audience from the courtroom as the sentencing phase of the case began to protect the jury. Members of the Hester family and supporters of Hester are alleged to have made hand gestures to the jury when they returned with the guilty conviction of all charges.

As a result, Craig Smith of Bladenboro was arrested for felonious obstruction of justice and felonious harassment of a juror. Each count carried a $200,000 secured bond. He was released from the Bladen County Jail on Wednesday.

Sasser also added additional sentences to Hester’s life in prison without parole. At the request of Assistant District Attorney Lee Bollinger, he added 116 to 149 months for his assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill Jimmy Wade Kelly, the grandson of Hughes. Hester was also found guilty of common law robbery against Margaret Hammonds and Hester was given an additional sentence of 16 to 20 months for that charge.

Hester was transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh late Tuesday.