KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man from Lee's Summit, Missouri, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the shooting death of Matthew Bland-Williams last year in Independence, Missouri.
Arieous K. Walton-Merritt, 24, was convicted by a Jackson County judge in May of involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, according to a Jackson County prosecutor's news release.
A judge sentenced Walton-Merritt Friday for 10 years for each conviction, and the sentences will run consecutively. This means Walton-Merritt will serve each sentence one after another for a total of 20 years served.
According to court records, the Independence Police Department officers found Bland-Williams in front of a residence, and he was pronounced dead at Centerpoint Medical Center.
Officers then found Walton-Merritt collapsed in front of another residence with gun shot wounds.
"Surveillance video from a neighbor of the Wigwam scene showed the defendant firing two shots at the victim before a struggle began," the press release said. "The victim gets the gun away and fires shots at the defendants as he starts to drive away."
