Michael Dunn was sentenced to life imprisonment Friday in front of a courtroom where the mother of his 17-year-old victim was seen breaking down in tears, The Guardian has learned.
Dunn was convicted earlier this month for fatally shooting Florida teen Jordan Davis over a dispute involving loud rap music.
Despite her sadness over her son's loss, Lucia McBath revealed that she has already forgiven the 47-year-old convict.
"For years to come I will be forced to celebrate my son's birthday without his presence. As I quietly watch my friends' boys grow into young men, I will forever be reminded of what might've been for my Jordan," McBath said.
"I choose to forgive you Mr. Dunn for taking my son's life. I choose to release the seeds of bitterness and anger and honor my son's love. I choose to walk in the freedom of knowing God's justice has been served. I pray that God has mercy on your soul," she added.
Michael Dunn's sentencing comes two years after the November 2012 incident when he shot Davis at a Jacksonville gas station.
Michael Dunn's sentence is strictly without parole and with the addition of 90 years.
According to court documents, Judge Russell Healey sentenced Dunn to life imprisonment for the first-degree murder of the teenager.
He was also given three consecutive 30-year sentences for the attempted second-degree murder of Davis' friends, who were also present at the scene of the crime.
Lastly, he was sentenced to an additional of 15 years for shooting the moving car used by Davis and his friends.
"Mr Dunn, your life is effectively over," Healey quipped in the courtroom. "This tragedy should and could have been prevented."
In a statement he read in front of the courtroom, Dunn publicly apologized for what he has done to Jordan Davis, his first since the incident happened, according to News4Jax.
"I want the Davis family to know I truly regret what happened. I'm sorry for their loss," Dunn said. "If I could roll back time and do things differently, I would."
"I was in fear for my life and I did what I thought I had to do. Still, I am mortified I took a life, whether it was justified or not," he continued.
It can be noted that in the murder trial that ended on Oct. 1, Dunn admitted to firing 10 shots at the 17-year-old African American and his friends while they were inside a Dodge Durango.
The 47-year-old reportedly fired towards the teens amid an altercation over the loud music that was coming from a parked SUV alongside his car.
In February, Michael Dunn was sentenced to second-degree attempted murder for shooting towards Davis' friends, but the jurors couldn't reach a verdict over his first-degree murder charge for the death of Davis at the time, resulting to a mistrial.
Dunn was a software engineer who has a concealed weapons permit. He previously testified in court that he just acted in self-defense after seeing a "barrel of gun" from the window of the teen's car.
However, authorities said they didn't find any weapons inside the car and that Davis was completely unarmed at the time of the incident, reports MSNBC.
Prior to Michael Dunn's sentencing, his lawyers questioned how judge Healey was handling the case.
It can be noted that Healey rejected their request for a new trial, citing that there were improper rulings made by the judge such as allowing testimony about gunshot trajectory.
Healey also dismissed one of the jurors without any evidence of misconduct and clear explanation why he did it.
Furthermore, Dunn's lawyers claim that Healey denied fair trial when he denied their request to move the proceedings away from Jacksonville
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