MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- A second former Central Michigan football player has been sentenced for his role in the beating death of a man outside a bar.
| Advertisement |
|||
| |||
Demond Petty was sentenced Thursday to between four and 15 years in prison. The 21-year-old had pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter last month.
A no-contest plea in Michigan is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.
Prosecutors said former Central Michigan star James King initiated the June 2004 beating of 26-year-old DeMarcus Graham, who died 19 days later. They said Petty, a defensive tackle who had eight tackles in the 2003 season, escalated the attack into a mob scene.
Petty's sentencing came two days after another former player, 24-year-old Michael L. Thomas, was sentenced to between 40 months and 15 years in prison for his role in the beating.
Former Central Michigan football players Spencer Lewis, 23, and Jerry Seymour, 21, are scheduled for trial April 19. The 23-year-old King is scheduled for trial May 8. All are charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, assault with intent to do great bodily harm and perjury.
Four others were charged with perjury and other crimes in Graham's killing and the grand jury investigation that followed.
Former player James Cooper Jr., 24, of Detroit has pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice. His sentencing is scheduled for June 9.
The other three, including two former players, face perjury trials in June.
D Smooth26 
