Man gets 30 years for death of teen student
A Columbia man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the shooting death of a high school student near a city park.
A Boone County jury convicted 20-year-old Anthony Graves last month of felony murder, armed criminal action and illegal use of a weapon. The victim, 17-year-old Deaudre Johnson, was killed in March 2012 near Douglass Park.
A judge on Monday gave Graves 30 years for murder and shorter terms on the other charges, with all of the sentences to be served concurrently.
Police initially said it wasn’t clear if Johnson was the intended target. Witnesses said the shooter had been arguing with a person standing near Johnson.
Graves testified at his trial that he fired in self-defense. He also said the fatal bullet did not come from his gun.
