WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Palm Beach County man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing someone who was going to testify against him in a burglary trial.
News outlets report that 34-year-old Eddie Rutledge was sentenced Monday after being convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. A previous conviction was tossed because of a conflict of interest with Rutledge's former attorney.
Authorities say 45-year-old George Mannarino had been set to testify against Rutledge in November 2007. A day before he was supposed to appear in court, prosecutors say Rutledge shot Mannarino with a rifle in front of his Palm Beach Gardens home.
Kenakil Chuka Gibson was previously sentenced to life in prison for his part in Mannarino's killing. Officials say Gibson was an accomplice in the 2006 burglary that Mannarino witnessed.