Teen gets 172 years for part in quadruple murder
The defense argued that Jordyn Wade (pictured) should not receive life imprisonment because he was not the one who pulled the trigger. (Photo: AP)
A judge decided Tuesday that an 18-year-old from Columbus will spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole, for the part he played in a home invasion robbery last year that left four people dead and a fifth victim seriously injured.
In May, Jordyn Wade was found guilty by a jury of his peers for four counts of aggravated murder, one count each of attempted murder and aggravated burglary and multiple counts of aggravated robbery and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 172.5 years, The Associated Press reported.
Wade, who was just 16 years old at the time, broke into the home along with Robert Adams, 29, robbed the occupants, then forced the victims into the basement of the home where Wade held them at gunpoint as Adams executed them one by one.
Michael Ballour, 41, Daniel Craig Sharp, 26, Angela Harrison, 35, and Tyajah Nelson, 18, all died from multiple gunshots, which were fired at close proximity investigators determined. A fifth victim, who is was 15, was grazed by a bullet which took off a portion of her ear. She said she played dead, which likely saved her life, and once the assailants were gone, she crawled out of the basement to get help.
The surviving victim, who said the robbery was drug-related, was able to lead authorities to Wade and he was arrested shortly after the shooting. He has since remained in custody.
Adams, whose trial is set to start in January, is facing the death penalty. Because Wade was a juvenile at the time of the murders, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
Nonetheless, Assistant Prosecutor James Lowe encouraged Wade to be sentenced to life imprisonment, noting his lengthy juvenile record, repeated parole violations and gang activity. Lowe also said Wade showed no remorse for the murders.
“Since we’ve been doing this, and it’s a long time we’ve been doing this, this is the worst scene we’ve ever prosecuted,” Lowe added. “Four dead bodies, and there should have been a fifth. This was horrific, horrific.”
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Wade showed no emotion as his sentence was handed down.
Carolyn Medley, whose granddaughter was one of the victims, told the courtroom she hopes “prison makes his life a living hell.”
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Source: http://www.guns.com/2016/09/14/teen-gets-172-years-for-part-in-quadruple-murder/
