A judge has sentenced a 15-year-old boy to 22 to 48 years in prison in the fatal shooting of an Omaha teenager during a dispute that prosecutors say involved drugs.
Tyon Wells was sentenced Wednesday after pleading no contest in November to second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Zachary Parker .
Prosecutors say Wells, who was 14 at the time, shot Parker in February in a dispute over marijuana.
Wells’ defense attorney sought to have his client tried in juvenile court. Douglas County District Court Judge Shelly Stratman refused, noting Wells’ connections to gang life, drug use and violence at school.
Stratman says Wells should take this second chance as an opportunity to challenge and educate himself.
State law says Wells could be eligible for parole in 11 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.