Man gets 15 years for killing best friend

BELLEVILLE -- An East St. Louis man sentenced to 15 years in prison for stabbing his best friend says he's sorry for the death of a victim he considered a brother.

A St. Clair County judge ordered the prison term Wednesday for 36-year-old Delshannon McNeese.

Jurors found McNeese guilty of second-degree murder in the December 2007 death of Andrew Hankins.

Authorities say Hankins was stabbed in the chest with a pocket knife in an apartment near Belleville.

During Wednesday's sentencing, the victim's mother told the judge her late son was born immediately after a car crashed into their home. Roselind Thomas says her son's life began and ended with drama.

McNeese's lawyer called the stabbing unusual and asked the judge for probation.