Gunman gets maximum sentence in slaying
A 21-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 18 years to life in prison for the 2009 Thanksgiving Day slaying of McClain Kenton Zornes, 19, outside a northwest valley CVS Pharmacy.
Lionel Collins III pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon. The sentence imposed by District Judge Donald Mosley was the maximum allowed.
Tearful appeals by Zornes' parents and siblings preceded Mosley's ruling. The family members asked for the maximum penalty.
Authorities said the two men were parked side by side when Collins, who was in a beat-up orange car, shot Zornes, who was in a purple sedan. Zornes then drove his car into a palm tree, and the vehicle flipped over, near Tenaya Way and Craig Road. Zornes suffered a single fatal gunshot wound in his chest.
Police said the shooting was linked to a marijuana deal gone bad.
