Family members crowded into a fifth-floor courtroom at the Mecklenburg County courthouse yesterday as three young men pleaded guilty and received prison sentences for the killing of 18-year-old Zackary Rieken. The October 2024 shooting in south Charlotte left the recent high school graduate dead and drew relatives from both sides into a packed gallery. Emotions ran high as the judge imposed the lowest prison terms allowed under the law and urged the defendants to confront what they had done.
Sentences and pleas
As reported by WBTV, Sanjie Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a minimum sentence of 13 years. Jeremiah Childers, who prosecutors say helped set up the deal, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a…..