NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The man accused of a deadly shooting outside of Menchville High School in 2021 was sentenced for several gun-related charges on Wednesday, the Newport News Circuit Court confirmed.
Demari Batten was sentenced to seven years behind bars on charges of possessing a firearm at school, shooting a firearm on school grounds, and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
This comes after he was found not guilty of voluntary manslaughter during his two-day re-trial in January, in which Batten took the stand and claimed self-defense in the Dec. 14, 2021 shooting.
Batten said a teen from a group attacked him while he sat in a car, prompting him to reach for his gun out of fear. That's when he says someone opened the driver's side door and he fired his gun, killing 17-year-old Justice Dunham.
Although jurors could not agree on the manslaughter charge in 2022, Batten was found guilty of firing a gun on school property and having a gun with more than 20 rounds.
