Man gets 12 years in teen’s scrap yard killing
MILWAUKEE — A judge has sentenced a man to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting a teenage boy who broke into a Milwaukee scrap yard with his friends.
Fifty-four-year-old David Helton also was sentenced to four years of extended supervision Tuesday.
A jury in August found Helton guilty of second-degree reckless homicide while armed.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/r8OXIQ ) that Milwaukee County Judge Richard Sankovitz called the shooting a tragedy.
Sankovitz says Helton — who lived in a trailer in the scrap yard — did not intend to kill anyone but was too quick to use force. But the judge also says 16-year-old Shelton Smith of Milwaukee had not thought about what he had to lose by entering the scrap yard last May 2.
\
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.