Virginia man sentenced to 43 years after pleading guilty to killing teen who had just graduated

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A young man accused in last year’s fatal shooting of a teenager who had received his high school diploma minutes earlier in Richmond, Virginia, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and a firearm-related charge. News outlets report that 20-year-old Amari Pollard entered the plea on Thursday during the fourth day of his trial in the shooting of 18-year-old Shawn Jackson. The judge also sentenced Pollard to 43 years of prison, of which 18 were suspended. Pollard entered the plea after Marchant made decisive rulings against him earlier Thursday. Jackson’s stepfather also was shot and killed at the graduation, but Pollard didn’t face charges in that death.