Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Teen killed over $2 in pot sale

|
|
 
  
Published: May 13, 2009 at 10:28 AM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 13 (UPI) -- A Florida teenager faces 25 years in prison for shooting a customer in the face last June because he was shortchanged $2 in a marijuana sale.

A Broward County jury convicted Frank Reyes, 17, of second-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Alfredo Cruz, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"Two dollars, eight quarters, 20 dimes, that's what Alfredo Cruz's life was worth," said prosecutor Michelle Boutros, during closing arguments.

Boutros said Cruz should have given Reyes the money but decided to hustle him instead.

Still, she added, that did not give Reyes the right to shoot him.

Bruce Raticoff, assistant public defender, said Reyes felt intimidated by Cruz, who was larger than he was, and reacted out of fear.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 26. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
News: Two cars fighting gun battle on Interstate accidentally fire into car of innocent women. Fark:...
Dads, before showing "The Smurfs" DVD from your laptop at your kid's birthday party, make sure you...
It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand
Baby shower ends with three people stabbed after a drunken argument between relatives of mom-to-be...
"Man charged with exposing himself to women while riding bike" which really is a lot harder than...
Florida man ran into his ex-girlfriend yesterday. Then he backed up and ran into her again. He misses...