GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - A judge ordered a man convicted of killing a homeless Grand Rapids veteran to several decades in prison.
The Grand Rapids Press reports (https://bit.ly/1gcxotl ) a Kent County Circuit judge sentenced Eric Sear to 35-90 years in prison Thursday for the death of 69-year-old Douglas Barry. Sear was convicted of second-degree murder for Barry’s March 2013 slaying.
Barry’s sister Joanne Hite says she had to remove him from life support after doctors determined he was brain dead.
Sear asked for leniency. Authorities say he declined prosecutors’ offer to plead guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence.
Sear’s co-defendant Cari Johnson pleaded guilty last year to larceny and was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
Relatives say Barry had been homeless for several years but once operated a gas station.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, https://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
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