The man who pulled the trigger and killed a Chapel Hill man forced to dig his own grave has been sentenced to at least 24 years in prison.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports (http://bit.ly/ZbE7KM ) that 25-year-old Matthew Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping last month in Orange County. The combined sentences for the crimes will run 24 to 30 years.
Prosecutors say while Johnson shot and killed 20-year-old Josh Bailey in 2008, he only did it after being kidnapped and ordered to shoot Bailey by 23-year-old Brian Minton, the ringleader of a criminal gang.
Minton was found guilty of first-degree murder in May and sentenced to life in prison.
Seven other people were charged in connection with the killing.
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