Iowa teen who killed two fellow students gets 65 years in prison
An Iowa teenager who last year fatally shot two fellow students at an alternative school program for at-risk youth and wounded the program's founder was sentenced Thursday to 65 years in prison, prosecutors announced.
The teen, Preston Walls, 19, of West Des Moines, was convicted in September of manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter and assault causing serious injury in connection with the Jan. 23, 2023, attack in what authorities called a gang plot. related shooting.
Polk County District Court Judge Larry McLellan sentenced Mr. Walls to three consecutive prison terms, one for each charge, for a total of 65 years, prosecutors said. He was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution to the families of the murdered victims. The Polk County Prosecutor's Office said this in a press release. Mr. Walls will be eligible for parole after 40 years, prosecutors said.
Authorities said at the time of the shooting that Mr. Walls was part of a gang and that the two teenagers he fatally shot, Rashard Carr, 16, and Gionni Dameron, 18, were members of an opposing gang. All three were students of the program and knew each other, The Des Moines Register reports this.
During the trial, Mr. Walls testified in court that he shot Mr. Carr and Mr. Dameron because he feared for his life. Mr Walls said he had 'acted out of fear' and 'felt like they were going to kill me'.
At the sentencing, Mr Walls told the victims' families he was “truly sorry” but reiterated he had feared for his life, prosecutors said. His mother and other relatives also testified about events that shaped Mr. Walls' life, including the death of his father.
The victims' mothers read impact statements, prosecutors said, stating that their sons would not have hurt Mr. Walls, and that in some cases they had stood up for him.
William Holmes, 50, the lone survivor of the shooting and founder of Starts Right Here, the alternative school program, also delivered a final message to his former student, prosecutors said.
“I wanted to be there for you,” Mr. Holmes told Mr. Walls in court, the news release said. “I had your back like there was no tomorrow, and you know it.”
“Why did you choose the place where you like to do something like this?” he added.
A call to Mr. Walls' attorney, Glen Downey, was not immediately returned Thursday evening. The defense had requested that the sentences Mr. Walls received run concurrently.
The Polk County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately return phone and email messages.
On the afternoon of January 23, 2023, Mr. Walls showed up at Starts Right Here in Des Moines, carrying a handgun and an extensive magazine of ammunition, according to authorities. He encountered Mr. Holmes, who tried to escort him from the area before Mr. Holmes started shooting, authorities said.
Mr. Walls shot Mr. Holmes and then the two students before walking away, authorities said. Mr. Holmes suffered injuries to his hip and finger, prosecutors said.