PHOENIX — >>Editor's note: The above video is from a previously aired broadcast.
In 2021, J'ssan Strover led authorities on a manhunt into the woods near Atlanta, Georgia. He was fleeing from the deputies who were supposed to bring him back to Phoenix.
The day-long chase ended with Strover being extradited back to Arizona, arrested on the suspicion of shooting and killing 32-year-old Walter Wood in February of that same year.
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Strover was found guilty of first-degree murder in August. Last week, Strover was sentenced to life in prison by a Maricopa County judge, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said.
Strover, who was 20 at the time of the murder, was found to have "rented a car, bought a gun, wore gloves, masked his face, parked away from where the shooting occurred and fled to another state all in an effort to evade police and prosecution," the MCAO said.
The court charged Strover with one count of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated assault with a firearm.
He was sentenced to "spend natural life in prison" with "an additional 21 years for attempted murder" in the Arizona Department of Corrections, the MCAO announced.
"The callous and premeditated acts by this defendant led this office to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. His actions on that night have left a lifetime impact on the victim’s children and family," said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
Walter Wood is survived by three children who were all under 10 years old at the time of the shooting.
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