ATLANTA (AP) - A judge has sentenced an Atlanta panhandler to life in prison plus 25 years for fatally shooting a tourist who had refused his demand for a quarter.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that 29-year-old Wanique Odwin received the sentence Monday after a jury convicted him of murder and numerous other offenses in the September, 2008 death of 48-year-old Kashma Avery of Michigan.
Prosecutors said Odwin asked for a quarter after Avery and a friend had stopped at a Midtown Atlanta gas station to ask for directions. When Avery refused, Odwin became hostile and pulled out a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun. The friend tried to grab the gun, but Odwin shot and wounded Avery, who later died at a downtown hospital.
Odwin fled but was arrested afterward at a homeless camping area.
The Associated Press