A 20-year-old man found guilty for his role in the deadly beating of Derrion Albert was sentenced on Thursday to 32 years in prison.
Defense pleas for a minimal sentence for Silvonus Shannon were denied.
"There has to be a consequence," Judge Nicholas Ford said. "You can't hurt people."
A jury convicted Silvonus Shannon of first-degree murder last month. His sentencing was delayed last week when his attorneys filed a motion for a new trial.
"We're disappointed," Shannon's lawyer, Robert Byman, said. "The judge should have been more lenient," Byman said.
"He needed to throw the case out," he said.
Byman claimed Shannon himself was a victim, alleging that his client was "dazed and disoriented" after being hit by a heavy piece of lumber.
Prosecutors argued Shannon delivered the final blow to the Fenger High School student.
Albert's friends and family said in court they remain in disbelief of what happened that day.
"We will never get to see his dreams come alive," Bonita Braxton, Albert's cousin, said. It's "forever a nightmare."
Shannon faced up to 60 years for his involvement in the brawl.
"I'm sorry for what happened," Shannon said. "I'm genuinely sorry for what happened to Derrion Albert."
