CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated who was driving the vehicle that was shot at. It has since been updated.
Seven years after 5-year-old Kason Guyton was shot and killed, the man convicted of his death, Jonathan Knight, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Knight, a documented member of the West Side Crips, was found guilty of 11 out of 12 counts including murder and attempted murder. During the sentencing Tuesday, he spoke publicly for the first time in this trial.
"I apologize for what happened but I didn’t do nothing wrong, but I really do apologize for their son. I’m not that type of person," he said.
Knight stated he plans to appeal his conviction.
The shooting occurred on February 23, 2017 following an alleged confrontation at the Valley Plaza Mall. Prosecutor Eric Smith attempted to prove that Knight and his cousin Jeremy King planned to retaliate, with King driving the vehicle that Knight shot out of.
The two came across a car driven by Dayvon Vercher, an alleged East Side Crips member. Vercher was driving with his girlfriend's children in the back seat — Kason and his 7-year-old brother Bryan Guyton Jr. Kason was fatally shot while his brother was injured in the leg.
Guyton's family was in the courtroom as the sentencing was read. Smith said afterwards that this sentencing not only brings some justice to the family but to the community.
"We do it for this day, for the families," Smith said after the sentencing. "We don’t do it for ourselves, we do it so they can see the person who destroyed their family in custody."
In addition to his life sentence, Knight was handed multiple additional prison terms including 25 years to life, 126 years to life and 111 years to life on various counts.
Following the sentencing, Knight offered his sympathies to the Guyton family, but also spoke about someone else involved in this case: King.
"Somebody going home tomorrow that pleaded to everything," Knight remarked.
King accepted a plea deal in exchange for testifying in this case and a six-year prison term with time served. It's expected he will be release soon after his sentencing Wednesday.
Knight's attorney Tim Hennessy argued during the trial the King was motivated to lie due to the plea deal. Following the sentencing, he questioned whether justice was fully served in this case.
"Try to battle or deter or stop gang violence from our side, when one guy gets the book thrown at him and the other guy walks," he said. "My concern is what that sends to the community as to how gang violence is being treated."
King is due back court Wednesday morning.
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