CONWAY, SC (AP) -- A man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of murder for shooting another man while robbing him during a drug deal.
The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that a jury found Richard Niles guilty of murder and armed robbery Friday night.
Prosecutors say Niles killed 24-year-old James Salter after luring him to a Myrtle Beach parking lot in April 2007 to buy marijuana.
The same jury found Niles' girlfriend Mokeia Hammond not guilty of murder, but guilty of armed robbery. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
One of the key witnesses in the trial was 36-year-old Ervin Moore, who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for a 10 to 15 year prison sentence.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWACH