Gregory Collins, 20, in court last August.
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NEWBERRY (WACH) -- The man indicted by a grand jury for the murder and dragging of a Midlands man was sentenced in court Tuesday.
Gregory Collins, 20, will be going to prison for 28 years for fatally shooting his friend, 30-year-old Anthony Hill, and dragging him behind his pickup truck last June.
Collins apologized to Hill's family and the community for the murder that sparked racial controversy in Newberry County.
The body of Hill, a black man, was found by officials after being killed and dragged behind Collins' truck down rural roads for several miles.
The New Black Panther Party demonstrated in hopes of authorities classifying the case as a hate crime.
Prosecutor Jerry Peace says the two men were friends and were drinking when Hill flaunted a gun. Authorities say Collins took the gun, shot Hill and used a rope to lift his body into his truck to dump it. Collins says he didn't notice when the body fell out and was being dragged over 11 miles.
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