By Associated Press - Saturday, April 7, 2018

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to life behind bars for killing three members of a family that had taken him on fishing trips and a vacation to Disney World.

The Ledger-Enquirer reports that Jervarceay Tapley received three life-without-parole sentences Friday for participating in the 2016 Columbus triple-slaying.

Tapley was 17 when he and two other teenagers killed 54-year-old Gloria Short, her 17-year-old son Caleb Short and her 10-year-old grandchild Gianna Lindsey. Authorities say the teens bound the victims with tape and bashed their heads in with a 20-pound (9-kilogram) dumbbell. The teenagers stole two of the family’s vehicles and a collection of Nike sneakers, among other items.

Eighteen-year-old Rufus Leonard Burks IV received two concurrent life sentences plus 15 years. Nineteen-year-old Raheam Daniel Gibson was sentenced to 30 years.

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Information from: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, http://ledger-enquirer.com

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