BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday for killing his 27-year-old niece and wounding her boyfriend in a 2017 shooting in Stratford.
Michael “Buddha” Catchings cried during the hearing and told a Superior Court judge, “Everyday I hope and wish I could bring her back,” the Connecticut Post reported.
His niece, Raenetta Catchings, a mother of three young children, was shot to death in front of her home and her boyfriend, Marc Elliott, was wounded.
A witness told police that Michael Catchings was trying to defend his niece, who was arguing with Elliott at the time, when he accidentally shot her. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges in January.
“This was the most heartbreaking case I’ve ever had to preside over as a judge,” Judge Joan Alexander said. “I don’t know why this happened. It doesn’t make any sense, but once you introduce a gun into a situation it becomes tragic.”
In court, Leona Catchings, Michael Catching’s sister and the victim’s mother, cried as she told him she forgives him.
“I forgave you the first time and I forgive you now,” she said. “We are going to make it through Buddha.”
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