05/23/2005 14:00:03 EST Podiatrist Gets Death Penalty in Murder



CHICAGO - A jury decided Monday that a Chicago foot doctor should get the death penalty for killing a patient to keep her from testifying against him in a Medicare fraud case.
Ronald Mikos, 56, was convicted earlier this month of murder, and was also found guilty of defrauding Medicare out of more than $1 million.

Mikos shot disabled nurse Joyce Brannon to death days before she was scheduled to tell a federal grand jury about how he claimed to have performed numerous operations on her that never actually took place.