BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
A teenager has been sentenced to 20 years of hard labor in prison for a shooting at the Mall of Louisiana one year ago.
Judge Trudy White sentenced Johnny Williams, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, after Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
"I think 20 years is a good resolution here," Assistant District Attorney Adam Haney said. "The kids a young guy, 17, he's taken
responsibility for his actions. Let's face it, 20 years is a long time."
Williams had faced up to 100 years.
The two victims spoke during victim impact testimony on how the incident has changed their lives. One of the kids said he lost an entire baseball season due to his injuries.
"There are no winners in this case," said Judge White.
Prosecutors were prepared to go ahead with the trial Tuesday, but the plea was accepted before jury selection had started.
"We're satisfied, I guess that's a good way to
say it," said David Day, the father of one of the victims.
Michael Burrell, also 17 at the time of the shooting, is also charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
His case is ongoing.
Williams was accused of firing into a crowd at the mall on Jan. 7, 2012 and hit two teens.
Detectives said Burrell gave Williams the gun.
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Johnny Williams (Source: East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office)
Michael Burrell
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