A 20-year-old man was sentenced to 45 years in prison after shooting his classmate’s father, who eventually died, at a house party in Florida.
20-Year-Old Man Convicted for Fatally Shooting Classmate’s Father During a House Party
A 20-year-old man named James Z. Powell, who was 15 during the tragic incident, was convicted four years after fatally shooting his classmate’s father, Joel Tatro, inside their home during a party.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the victim hosted a house party for his children and their friends with almost 20 attendees, and the 20-year-old man and two others went to their house despite being uninvited to the party.
When the victim tried telling the 20-year-old man and his companions that they had to leave because what they were doing was trespassing, Powell got mad and pulled out his handgun and began firing multiple times, fatally hitting the victim.
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20-Year-Old Man Sentenced to Almost Four Decades After Shooting and Killing Classmate’s Father
Following the shooting incident, the 20-year-old man and his friends fled from the scene while the victim was immediately rushed to hospital. He survived but was paralyzed from the neck down and reportedly died from COVID-19 after health complications from the gunshot he sustained.
The 20-year-old man claimed the shooting was not the reason why the victim died and pleaded for reconsideration; however, he was still given a 45-year sentence for fatally shooting the victim, Law and Crime reported.
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