POLK TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — A man involved in a drug-related robbery that ended with the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in eastern Pennsylvania will now spend several decades in prison.
Anthony Mitchell, 19, of Kunkletown, pleaded guilty Friday to third-degree murder, according to the Monroe County prosecutor’s office. He was then sentenced to 38 1/2 to 77 years in prison.
Mitchell was among three people who stole $120 worth of marijuana in November 2020 from three teenagers who were sitting in a car in a Polk Township cul-de-sac, authorities have said. The conspirators allegedly used a social media app to arrange the drug deal with a 14-year-old boy.
Aiden Paiz, 15, was fatally shot during the robbery, while a 17-year-old boy was wounded and the 14-year-old boy was assaulted. The latter two have since recovered from their injuries.
Mitchell told authorities that he held a rifle to a car window while a 15-year-old boy, who is charged as an accomplice in the shooting, held a handgun on the opposite side of the car. Mitchell said he accidentally fired a shot through the car, and the 15-year-old then allegedly fired shots into the vehicle.
The 15-year-old is seeking to keep his case in juvenile court, authorities said. If that fails, he will be tried as an adult along with an 18-year-old who was also accused of being involved in the robbery. Both defendants face criminal homicide charges and related counts.
Authorities have said that after the shooting occurred, Mitchell and his two alleged accomplices ditched the guns and smoked the marijuana.
