Wyatt Williams: Man who killed 7-year-old boy sentenced to 20 years
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The man who fired the shot that killed a 7-year-old Louisville boy was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday.
Wyatt Williams got the sentence that was recommended for him in February, when he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and wanton endangerment in connection with the 2017 death of Dequante Hobbs.
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Investigators said Williams was playing a game of dice when he pulled out a gun and fired it. One of the shots went through the window of a nearby home and hit the boy as he sat at his kitchen table eating a piece of cake. He died a short time later.
In court Monday, Dequante’s mother, Micheshia Norment, said, “My son should not be laying in a grave at seven. He should be at school. The stuff that I really want to say in this courtroom, I cannot say.”
Williams asked Dequnate’s family for forgiveness during his sentencing.
"I beg for your forgiveness. Please find it deep down in your hearts to forgive me, please. I understand your anger towards me. I understand you not ever wanting to see me released,” he said.
Dequante's great aunt said, "I know you didn't mean to do it. I know that. We know that, because it wasn't intentional, but bullets do not have eyes."
Dequante’s grandmother added, “It’s hard, but I know we have to forgive you, not just for you, but for us. Coming to court is like bringing back each day of what happened. We don’t want to forgive but we need to.”
When Williams accepted the plea deal in February, Hobbs’ grandfather, Henry Watkins, described the recommended 20-year sentenced as “a slap on the wrist to the family.”
Williams will be eligible for parole in four years.
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