Convicted Murderer Sentenced to Life in Prison
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: October 14, 2008
The Lubbock man who murdered a 15-year-old boy will spend the rest of his life in prison.
We told you on Monday, 20-year-old Alfredo Perez plead guilty to murder in open court and left his fate in the hands of Judge Jim Bob Darnell. Perez shot and killed Javier Castaneda on July 25th last year outside Harwell Elementary School. On Tuesday, during the punishment phase, Perez took the stand in his own defense and told the judge he did not mean to kill anyone. He claimed he only fired the gun in the air to scare the victim and his friends. Perez's defense attorney argued, he acted in "sudden passion" so he deserved the minimum sentence, but the judge didn't agree and gave him the maximum.
Perez will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years of his life sentence.
