Illinois man gets 30 years in 2015 slaying of Army veteran

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2015 slaying of an Army veteran who prosecutors say was fatally shot during a dispute over a small amount of drugs.

Larry Broomfield of Springfield was sentenced Friday after being convicted of first-degree murder in September by a Sangamon County jury in Louis Tuttle's January 2015 killing. Prosecutors had sought 35 to 38 years, while the defense requested 20 years, The State Journal-Register reported.

Broomfield was 16 when Tuttle, a former Lanphier High School football player who served in the U.S. Army, was slain. Broomfield was tried as an adult in his killing.

Evidence presented by the state's attorneys showed that Broomfield shot Tuttle four times in a car during a dispute over a small amount of the drug ecstasy.

Lonelle Bates, a co-defendant of Broomfield's who testified against him, was in the car along with Broomfield's brother. Bates' trial is scheduled for Aug. 3. He's charged with two counts of first-degree murder, armed robbery and concealment of a homicidal death.

Tuttle, who was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and was 'œadministratively discharged'ť from the Army in April 2014, received several medals and badges for his service.