PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia father charged in his football star son's death has been sentenced to at least six years in prison, a year and a half after the deadly shooting.
During the sentencing hearing, Aleem Gillard told the judge he was "a coward" who loves his children, made a deadly mistake and will never forgive himself for the events of a day he wishes he could take back.
Gillard never should have had a gun, as he already had four prior gun convictions. But on December 1, 2019, he pulled one out to show his 18-year-old twin sons.
Philadelphia prosecutors said he "encouraged them to play with it." That's when, according to prosecutors, one of them accidentally shot and killed the other.
Prosecutors said Gillard then told his 16-year-old daughter to hide the gun, and told his kids to lie to the police about what happened.
At first, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office charged the living twin with murder, and he spent 10 days in prison.
Eventually they dropped the charges, and Gillard, 43, was arrested on involuntary manslaughter and gun charges.
During the hearing, the father of five told the judge he loves all of his children, and that his twin boys, whom he says he raised, were "his heart."
Gillard say he lived in a "rough neighborhood" and had the gun for safety reasons, but said he should have figured something else out besides having the weapon which ultimately killed one of his children.
Gillard, who became paralyzed after being shot about a dozen times in 2013, conceded to the judge that it didn't matter how much time he spent in jail, he would never forgive himself. He said he physically feels pain every time he thinks of his son's death.
In the end, the judge sent Gillard to prison for six to 12 years. Gillard was on probation for his previous gun convictions, so he could face additional years for violating that probation.
