TEXARKANA, Texas -- An Ashdown teen who shot and killed a man and his dog in March was sentenced Monday to 45 years in a Texas prison.
Warrick "Sosa" Dunn, 18, pleaded guilty two weeks ago to murder in the March 30 death of Deandre "Shawn" Bush, 27, but District Judge Leon Pesek Jr., delayed formal sentencing to give Bush's family time to prepare statements.
Bush's sister, LaKeisha Jackson, quoted the victim's young daughter in her statement.
"She says, 'Daddy has been in heaven too long, it's time for him to come back now,'" Jackson said. "How do you tell a 3-year-old Daddy's not coming home?"
Bush's mother and grandmother wept as Jackson spoke.
"When you lay down at night, I hope March 30, 2016, will haunt you forever," Jackson said. "Your family can visit you face to face, but we have to go to the cemetery when we want to talk to him."
Bush was killed shortly after midnight as he sat in his car in front of his house in the 2000 block of West 18th Street in Texarkana, according to a probable-cause affidavit. Bush was shot multiple times at close range through the driver's-side window. Bush's pit bull reportedly chased Dunn as he ran from the scene and was shot once in the chest. The dog died.
A neighbor who held the wounded dog by his collar when police arrived told investigators he and another neighbor saw a man in a black hooded shirt running down the street with the dog close behind.
Dunn's motive was robbery, according to earlier interviews with investigators.
A woman whose son is Dunn's friend contacted police later in the morning of March 30 and arranged to give them the Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun Dunn used to kill Bush and a Taurus 9mm gun that Dunn stole from his victim.
Investigators learned that Dunn agreed to sell the woman the guns for $300. The woman reportedly told Dunn she would purchase the pistols because she wanted to get them out of Texarkana.
Dunn will have to serve a little more than 22 years before he is eligible for parole. At Dunn's plea hearing earlier this month, First Assistant District Attorney Michael Shepherd said he and Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter received the family's approval before making Dunn the offer of a 45-year sentence.
After the hearing, members of Bush's family said they did not want to go through a trial or risk the possibility that a jury's conviction could be overturned on appeal.
"You are young," Jackson said to Dunn during the hearing. "You have messed up your whole life just being stupid and dumb."
State Desk on 05/25/2016