York, SC (AP) - A man has been sentenced to life in prison in South Carolina for killing a 19-year-old store clerk who he said looked at him with unkind eyes with a gun he bought an hour before.
Christopher Mendez pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in York County. He apologized for the killing and his lawyer asked for the minimum 30-year sentence, but the judge sided with prosecutors and gave him life without parole.
Prosecutor Kevin Brackett said Mendez lied on a form about never being hospitalized for mental problems, then took the gun to the Peach Stand convenience store in Fort Mill on Jan. 23.
In a taped confession, Mendez says he shot Karson Whitesell because of the look she gave him and he wanted to see how it would feel.
