TEXARKANA — An Arkansas jury sentenced a man to life in prison for a murder that was done in retaliation for missing crack cocaine.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that a Miller County jury returned the verdict for 26-year-old Serandon Ramon Starling on Wednesday afternoon.
It took the jury 30 minutes to find him guilty of murder and committing a terroristic act. It took the jury 10 minutes to sentence him to two life terms and 15 years on each count of using a firearm in a felony.
Witnesses testify that Starling shot Andrew Lee Cheatham III in April 2013. They say Starling mistakenly believed Cheatham stole an ounce of crack cocaine from his brother, Frank Starling.
Starling's attorney said his client wasn't the only person identified by witnesses as the shooter.