CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — A judge in Chattanooga has sentenced a teenager to 12 years in prison in the slaying of a pastor.
The Chattanooga Time Free Press (http://bit.ly/15GRVVI ) reported 19-year-old Brendan Barnes was sentenced Tuesday on his earlier guilty plea to charges of facilitation of second-degree murder and facilitation of especially aggravated robbery.
The charges followed the beating and stabbing death of pastor David Strong in his home in 2010.
Barnes' cousin — 28-year-old Antonio Henry — was earlier given 20 years in prison on his guilty plea to second-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.
Prosecutor Neal Pinkston said after the hearing that Barnes' intention wasn't as high as Henry's and said the older cousin took a more active role in killing Strong.
"Everybody seemed to be in agreement regarding the plea," Pinkston said.
Henry told the newspaper, during a 2010 jailhouse interview, that he and Barnes went to Strong's home to smoke marijuana. He said while they were there, Strong propositioned them for sex. Henry said that's when they assaulted Strong.
Police found Henry driving Strong's car five days after he was killed and have ATM photos of Henry using Strong's bank card.
Strong was the pastor of St. Paul AME Church. Members of the congregation attended both sentencing hearings.
Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com
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