PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl as she was sitting in a car with friends two years ago.
On Jan. 14, 2022, Carissa Bright was sitting in the backseat of a car along Ross Street near Upsal Street in Germantown when 26-year-old Damir Richardson pulled up next to the vehicle and opened fire, shooting Bright in the head and chest before fleeing the scene.
Investigators believe that Bright's boyfriend, who was next to her at the time of the shooting, was the intended target.
Christine, Bright’s mother, said losing her daughter forever changed her life.
“Since her death, our life has not been the same. At all. I don’t know if I will ever be completely recovered, I don’t believe I will,” Christine said.
Prosecutors say DNA, ballistics, surveillance video and cell phone records linked Richardson to the crime.
Three weeks ago, a jury found Richardson guilty of killing Bright. He was convicted of first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime and given an automatic life sentence.