His Death-The Philadelphia Inquirer October 20, 1991
A Philadelphia man escaped the penalty of death by lethal injection when the jury deliberating his sentence deadlocked after nine hours.
Delaware County Court Judge Frank T. Hazel on Wednesday sentenced Vander Keith Clayborne, 29, of the 200 block of South 60th Street, to life in prison when the jury of seven men and five women could not agree.
Clayborne was found guilty Oct. 9 of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jeffrey Savage, 34, outside an Upper Darby apartment complex in November.
Assistant District Attorney James F. Mattera Jr. said he pushed for the death penalty because "Clayborne killed Jeffrey Savage while attempting to kill Raymond Craig."
Clayborne mistakenly believed that Craig, 29, of Philadelphia, had burglarized his home on Nov. 14. According to Craig's testimony, Clayborne threatened to kill him that evening.
The next day, Craig and his cousin, Savage, drove to Savage's apartment in the 6500 block of Marshall Road, Upper Darby.
As the men left the car, both were shot at. Savage was fatally shot in the abdomen. Seconds later, Craig was shot in the thigh.
Defense attorney Gerald A. Stein argued that Clayborne had a long history of mental illness and that Clayborne's mental capacity was diminished at the time of the shootings.