By Associated Press - Saturday, July 1, 2017

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A homeless man must serve 60 years in prison for what prosecutors say was his role in the 2014 death of a man whose beaten and burned corpse was found in a vacant El Paso building.

Jerry Lynn McGavitt was sentenced Friday in El Paso after being convicted of murder in the death of 21-year-old Gerardo Luna Jr.

Prosecutors believe Luna was targeted because he entered the downtown building, where homeless people were known to stay, from a street during the daytime.



Some utility workers in September 2014 found Luna’s body in the basement. Officials believe the victim had been dead for several weeks.

The 25-year-old McGavitt was the second person convicted in Luna’s death. Thomas McNair was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison. Three others await trial.

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Story Topics

Please read our comment policy before commenting.