HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - A Huntsville man has given a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to a 2012 drive-by shooting that killed a 17-year-old boy.
Al.com (https://bit.ly/1Mk8pZ4 ) reports that Circuit Judge Donna Pate last week split the sentence of 20-year-old Rodney O. Jones Jr., ordering him to serve five years in the state penitentiary, followed by five years of probation in connection with the death of Damon D. Groce.
Jones was 17 years old on Sept. 15, 2012, when prosecutors say he shot Groce from a moving car as the teen walked with friends in Huntsville. Groce, who was struck in the head, died the following day at a hospital.
Jones had sought youthful offender status due to his age at the time of the crime, but the court denied that application in March.
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