A man who shot a father in the back of the head over a parking space argument at an Atlanta mall has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
This punishment is actually harsher than what the prosecutors had originally asked for.
Ricky James LaFargue, 24, received this sentence, along with an additional five years, for the murder of Thuan Nguyen, 31.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Alice Benton delivered the sentence, highlighting the gravity of the crime.
Prosecutors had recommended life with the possibility of parole, considering LaFargue’s age at the time of the murder.
He was 19 and he didn’t have any adult criminal record.
However, Judge Benton saw the case differently.
“This case is particularly disturbing,” Judge Benton stated, according to local ABC affiliate WSB.
“Witnesses described the murder as an execution. It was an act of pure evil, with a gun pointed to the back of the victim’s head when the trigger was pulled, leaving his family and his child without a father.”
The tragic incident occurred on the evening of March 8, 2020, in the parking lot outside Lenox Square at 3393 Peachtree Road in northeast Atlanta.
The police said in a news release that the shooting happened after an argument between two groups about a parking space.
The groups initially argued in their vehicles, then went into the mall.
When they later returned to the parking lot, the confrontation escalated, and Nguyen was fatally shot in the head.
Officer Steve Avery explained to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “The victim and suspects separated and entered the mall, but later the victim and suspects returned to the parking lot, and the dispute continued.”
After the shooting, four people fled the scene in a vehicle, which crashed in the parking lot.
The suspects then ran off.
Witness Gino Vowin described the chaotic scene to WSB, stating, “We saw a gentleman standing with a gun, and then shots were fired. It was hectic. We were just having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and suddenly cop cars were pulling up.”
Police questioned witnesses and reviewed surveillance footage, quickly identifying LaFargue as the suspect.
A warrant for his arrest was issued days after the incident, and the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended him in Brooklyn, New York, on November 2, 2020.
He was extradited to Atlanta and booked into the Fulton County Jail in February 2021.
LaFargue’s defense attorney, Patrick Brackley, claimed the gun discharged accidentally.
“The defense argued that Mr. LaFargue took out the weapon, attempted to strike the victim, and the gun accidentally went off,” Brackley told WSB.
“The jury evidently rejected this defense, but I believe it will hold water on appeal.”
Comments
Post a Comment