Pa. Man Gets 13.5 To 30 Years In Speakeasy Slaying
READING, Pa. (AP) -- A man convicted of third-degree murder in the shooting death of a Maryland man at an eastern Pennsylvania speakeasy four years ago has been sentenced to 13.5 to 30 years in prison.
Jose Bonilla-Ortiz, 32, of Reading was convicted last month in the November 2009 slaying of Richard Gonzalez, 28, of Prince George's County, Md.
The Reading Eagle reports that the defendant said Monday in Berks County Court that he was sorry for relatives of the victims but was innocent of the crime. He said "It hurts me that I am being convicted of something I did not do."
Defense attorney William Bernhart has vowed an appeal. He sought leniency at sentencing, saying the case is unusual because some grand jury witnesses later retracted their identification of his client.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
