MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The teenager convicted of first-degree murder for pulling the trigger during a robbery in Norristown earlier this year is sentenced to at least half a century in prison.
Damon Brantley is sentenced to 50 to 100 years in prison. He avoids a mandatory life sentence because the robbery and murder happened seven days before his 18th birthday. Under Pennsylvania law, a juvenile cannot be sentenced to life.
Prosecutor Meghan Carney says she asked for a long sentence, saying Brantley took the Jan. 20 robbery at Wood and Powell streets to another level when he shot 35-year-old William Carter in the head.
"This was a clear shot to the head. This wasn't to disarm the victim. This wasn't to stop him from fleeing. His intent was clear, and it was to kill Will Carter and stop him from getting away," Carney said.
Carter was targeted because he'd recently won thousands of dollars gambling. His ex-girlfriend put a tracking device in his car and shared his location with the group who robbed him.
Two of those men are serving mandatory life sentences after being convicted of second-degree murder. Another juvenile who took part in the robbery pleaded guilty and cooperated with the prosecution.
Brantley's lawyer Evan Kelly says his client was under the influence of two older men.
"He's a good kid who got involved in a horrible situation, and it became a horrible, tragic mistake. And my heart goes out to the family."
Kelly says they plan to appeal the conviction.
