Lockport, N.Y. (AP) - An 18-year-old western New York man has been sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for fatally shooting a Niagara University student during an apparent robbery attempt.
Gordon Jackson apologized to victim Brandon Johnson's family before he was sentenced Wednesday in Niagara County Court.
Jackson shot the 21-year-old accounting major from Rochester in the head with a shotgun in the victim's off-campus apartment on December 8.
In court, Jackson's lawyer said Jackson had been manipulated by a 24-year-old co-defendant. But Jackson himself said he never blamed anyone else.
Co-defendant Cordero Gibson pleaded guilty to manslaughter but has asked to revoke the plea. The motion is pending.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.)
