A 21-year-old man in Texas will serve several decades in prison for killing his teenage companion at a sleepover, shooting the 17-year-old multiple times in the back as he prepared to sleep. Authorities stated on Friday that Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill sentenced James Michael Sotelo to 40 years in a state penitentiary facility for the murder of Corey Thompson.
Sotelo was convicted of one count of murder by a jury eight months ago after a six-day trial. Sotelo then chose to have Hill determine his penalty following the completion of presentence investigations. According to Harris County law, a convicted defendant can select whether the punishment is determined by the jury or the judge.
“There was no reason for this cold-blooded murder, so we know this man is a danger to the community,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg stated after the sentencing hearing. “After he was freed on bond for murder, he continued his criminal ways and was rearrested for carrying a gun.”
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Thompson was staying with the Sotelo family on the evening of March 20, 2021.
Sotelo, a then-18-year-old high school dropout, grabbed a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and shot Thompson “at least 13 times as his friend was trying to go to bed about 3 a.m.,” prosecutors stated in a news release.
Emergency medical personnel and Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the home. An inquiry indicated that Sotelo struck Thompson 11 times in the back.
At least one shot missed Thompson and flew through Sotelo’s bedroom wall, hitting his brother in the face while he slept. While Sotelo’s brother survived the shooting, he was charged with and convicted of another crime of deadly conduct.
Hill sentenced Sotelo to an additional two years on the deadly conduct charge, which will run concurrently with the 40-year term, meaning at the same time.
Prosecutors said they were seeking a harsher punishment because the killing was so vicious and cold-blooded.
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“According to the defendant, he wasn’t intoxicated or under the influence of any drugs, which makes deliberately pulling the trigger 13 times that much worse,” said Assistant District Attorney Kyle Tucker, who prosecuted the case. “We asked the judge for a sentence of at least 50 years because this defendant doesn’t care about what he did, he did not have any remorse for the victim and there weren’t any mitigating factors.”
During the trial, Sotelo testified in his defense, claiming that he shot Thompson because the 17-year-old attacked him while sleeping, according to Houston, Texas Fox affiliate KRIV.
“Of course, it is not accurate, because every gunfire he received came from behind. “There are eleven of them,” Thompson’s mother, April Wright, told the station.
The family also stated that Sotelo never seemed to care that he had stolen his friend’s life. “He’ll never accept responsibility for what he did,” Thompson’s sister, Torrie Wright, told lawandcrime. “He never cared, and he will never care. He only cares for himself.”
Under Texas state law, Sotelo must serve at least half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.