LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Prosecutors say a 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of an Arkansas police officer.
Investigators say Derrick Heard was 16 when he was accused of killing Newport Police Lt. Patrick Weatherford (pictured) in June 2017 in Newport.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that police say the officer pursued Heard while investigating a vehicle break-in.
Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce said in a news release Tuesday that Heard also pleaded guilty to attempted capital murder, breaking and entering, theft of property, and possession of a handgun.
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