Man gets life without parole for murdering Florida teen over loud music

By Ray Sanchez, CNNmichaeldunn_101714

A Florida judge Friday sentenced Michael Dunn to life in prison without parole for the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

The sentence, imposed nearly two years after Dunn shot and killed Davis during an argument over loud music, also carries an additional 90 years for three convictions of attempted murder and firing a weapon into a vehicle.

“This case demonstrates that our justice system does work,” Duval County Judge Russell Healey said moments before sentencing Dunn.

Dunn, 47, who is white, was convicted of first-degree murder this month for shooting into an SUV full of African-American teenagers at a Jacksonville, Florida, gas station after an argument over loud music from the teens’ vehicle.

Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in the racially-charged case, which drew comparisons to the shooting death of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, who maintained that he acted in self-defense, was acquitted last year by a Florida jury.

Dunn claimed he acted in self-defense because he believed Davis was reaching for a gun. No weapon was found.

“Mr. Dunn, your life is effectively over,” Healey said. “What is sad… is that this case exemplifies that our society seems to have lost its way.”

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