The 19 year-old, Lima man convicted of murdering Marcus Simpson Jr. learned his fate Wednesday morning.
Jaquone Phillips received a life sentence with the chance for parole after serving mandatory time. He was sentenced to 15 years for murder in the first degree and 3 years for a firearm specification. The 18 years are mandatory and to be served consecutively. An additional and non-mandatory 30 months has been set for having weapons under disability.
Marcus Simpson Jr's father shared words with the court. He commented that the family is having a very hard time with his son's death and hopes the sentence would bring closure.
On the night of the shooting, Phillips was under house arrest for a prior infraction. Judge David Cheney stated that had Phillips followed his probation, the shooting wouldn't have happened. He added that Phillips showed no remorse for his actions and no prospect of trying to turn his life around.
