PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. — An Arizona teenager has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of murdering a 15-year-old in San Tan Valley.
Joshua Franklin, 16, was sentenced last week in Pinal County Superior Court after he was tried as an adult for a fatal shooting that occurred in September 2021.
The young victim was shot multiple times at close range at the entrance of his family's San Tan Valley home.
The Pinal County Attorney's Office said Franklin was upset over what he thought was a defective vape cartridge he bought from the victim a few days before the shooting.
The victim was expecting to meet with Franklin to exchange the vape cartridge.
Data extracted from Franklin's phone, surveillance video, and eyewitness accounts helped to place Franklin at the time and location of the murder, PCAO said.
Last month, the jury convicted Franklin of first-degree murder and burglary. He'll be eligible for parole after 25 years.
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