A Prince George's County man spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a high school honor student as the teen walked to school.
A jury found Travon Donnell Bennett, 21, guilty of second-degree murder and armed robbery in August. The jury found him not guilty of first-degree murder.
Bennett was sentenced Friday to life in prison plus 30 years.
Eighteen-year-old Marckel Ross was killed on Sept. 11, 2012, while walking to Central High School in Capitol Heights. The 11th-grader was a track athlete at the school.
"Justice was definitely served," Ross' mother Elizabeth Ross said. "I really believe that from the bottom of my heart. When I realized my kid was dead, I felt like I could have died."
Before sentencing, Bennett denied having anything to do with the crime.
"I pray for your peace every day, more than I pray for myself," Bennett told the Ross family.
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"He did get up and say he prays for my family and his family was speaking very highly of him, but I really wish his family was there the day he decided to pull the trigger and kill my son," Elizabeth Ross said.
Bennett is awaiting another trial for a separate shooting and robbery.
"I wish that I could have Marckel back more than anything in this world," Elizabeth Ross said.
