A Texas man, aged 21, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of his 17-year-old friend during a sleepover. James Michael Sotelo was ordered by Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill to serve his sentence in a state correctional facility for the killing of Corey Thompson, as announced by the authorities. Sotelo was found guilty of murder by a jury eight months ago after a trial that lasted six days. He chose to have his sentence determined by Judge Hill following presentence investigations, a choice allowed by Harris County law.
The murder, described as “cold-blooded” by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, was committed without any apparent reason, marking Sotelo as a danger to the community. Ogg also noted that Sotelo continued his criminal activities even after being released on bond for murder, leading to his re-arrest for possession of a firearm.
The incident occurred on the night of March 20, 2021, when Thompson was staying at Sotelo’s family home. Sotelo, who had dropped out of high school at 18, fired a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at Thompson 13 times as the latter was preparing to sleep around 3 a.m., according to prosecutors. Emergency medical personnel and deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, where an investigation revealed that 11 of the shots had hit Thompson in the back.
One of the shots missed Thompson and went through a wall, hitting Sotelo’s sleeping brother in the face. Although his brother survived, Sotelo was charged and convicted of deadly conduct. Judge Hill added a concurrent two-year sentence for this charge to Sotelo’s 40-year sentence.
Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence due to the brutal and cold-blooded nature of the crime. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Tucker stated that Sotelo’s claim of not being under the influence of drugs or alcohol made his deliberate act of pulling the trigger 13 times even more egregious. Tucker also noted that Sotelo showed no remorse for his actions and there were no mitigating factors.
During his trial, Sotelo defended himself by claiming that he shot Thompson because the latter had attacked him in his sleep. This claim was refuted by Thompson’s mother, April Wright, who pointed out that all the gunshot wounds were on Thompson’s back. Thompson’s family also stated that Sotelo showed no remorse for his actions.
Under Texas law, Sotelo will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.