CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) - A Virginia jury has recommended a 30-year prison sentence for a Chesapeake security guard who killed a man prosecutors say was playing “Pokemon Go.”
The Virginian-Pilot reports the jury recommended the sentence for 23-year-old Johnathan Cromwell on Monday, days after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder in the 2017 death of 60-year-old Jiansheng Chen.
Authorities say Chen was sitting in a minivan in a parking lot and playing the video game when he was confronted and shot by Cromwell.
Cromwell said the vehicle was moving and he opened fire, and his lawyer argued he acted in self-defense. But prosecutors said broken glass found under the van’s shot-out windows disproved Cromwell’s claim.
Cromwell is set to be sentenced on June 24. His attorney, Andrew Sacks, says they plan to appeal.
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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com
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