PITTSBURGH — A man convicted of killing a state trooper was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole.

Leslie Mollett, 32, could have been sentenced to death, but members of an Allegheny County jury deadlocked. The panel began deliberating Thursday, a day after finding Mollett guilty of killing Cpl. Joseph Pokorny on Dec. 12, 2005.

Pokorny's relatives, including his parents and two of his children, left the courtroom Friday and were saluted by state troopers who flanked the courthouse hallway.

"This is a bittersweet time for our family. We are pleased with the guilt phase of the verdict and now it's time for us to heal and celebrate Joe's life," said Pokorny's sister, Lisa Hill.

The jury found that Mollett fought with Pokorny, 45, during a traffic stop and shot the trooper with his own weapon. An expert witness for the prosecution testified that it was likely that Pokorny was on his knees and had his hands up, as if surrendering, when he was killed.

"Joe Pokorny is in a better place than Leslie Mollett's going to be for the rest of his life," prosecutor Mark Tranquilli said. "I think someplace right now, his family would agree with me, Joe's probably got a smile on his face. He got his measure of justice."

Public defender Lisa Middleman, who represented Mollett in the death penalty phase, called the jury's decision gratifying.