Garland William Kuykendall Jr., 57, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder at an Asheville apartment complex last year.
Judge Jacqueline Grant, presiding in Buncombe County Superior Court, ordered Kuykendall to serve 360-444 months, or 30-37 years in prison.
The charges stem from an incident on March 7, 2024, at the Compass Point Village apartments on Deaverview Road. Asheville Police Department officers responded to the complex following reports of gunfire. Officers at the scene confirmed the suspect as Kuykendall after discovering a man in his room. Robert Earl Griggs, 72, was later identified as the victim and declared deceased at the scene…