A second defendant in the murder of Jeffrey Brentlinger was sentenced to life in prison Monday and will have to serve three years more than the admitted shooter.
Zachariah Huddleston, 23, apologizes to the family of Jeffrey Brentlinger during Monday’s sentencing in the Logan County Common Pleas Court. (EXAMINER PHOTO | JOEL E. MAST)
Zachariah Huddleston, 23, one of five Lima defendants charged in Brentlinger’s Nov. 24 death, decided to take his case to trial and was convicted of murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and having weapons under disability.
A charge of tampering with evidence was dismissed by Logan County Common Pleas Assigned Judge Mark S. O’Connor.
Huddleston could have faced consecutive sentences on all the charges, but Judge O’Connor said Ohio law allows a merger of the murder, robbery and burglary charges.
So he sentenced the defendant to life in prison with possibility of parole after he served 15 years.
The murder sentence will commence once Huddleston has completed a three-year mandatory sentence for having a gun in the commission of felony, a specification on all three merged felony counts.
He also will have to serve the maximum of three years for having weapons under disability.
Prior felony convictions for drug possession and weapons violations prompted Judge O’Connor to find the defendant has a high risk of repeating if ever free, a finding necessary to impose a maximum sentence.
In all, Huddleston will have to serve 21 years before he is eligible for a parole hearing.
Read complete story in Tuesday’s Examiner.
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