BRIGHTON, Colo. — A teenage defendant was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing 17-year-old Josiah "JoJo" Gonzales in 2022, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Jonah Graham, who was 16 years old at the time of the murder, was charged as an adult. He is now 17.
The DA's Office said Gonzales and Graham were classmates.
Graham pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Adams County District Court on Wednesday, according to the DA's Office.
> The video above aired July 13, 2022: 17-year-old shot, killed in Brighton Park
On July 12, 2022, Gonzales was eating pizza with a friend at Ken Mitchell Park in Brighton when Graham, who was also with one of his friends, arrived at the pavilion. Graham called out to Gonzales, and they "engaged in a verbal confrontation that escalated to Graham drawing his handgun." Graham then shot Gonzales three times, according to the DA's Office.
Gonzales later died from his injuries.
"This was an outrageous, violent crime that took the life of a young, high-school-aged victim, and it was perpetrated by a fellow teenager – who now must serve a 30-year prison sentence," said District Attorney Brian Mason.
"We should all feel a sense of outrage over a crime like this," Mason said. "Gun violence, particularly among young people, is plaguing our community. I am truly saddened by the death of this young man, whose life was taken by a fellow classmate over what was surely an inconsequential dispute."
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