A Bridgeport man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after being found guilty of killing an 18-year-old teen during a robbery at the Green Homes Housing Project in 2017.
The State's Attorney said 23-year-old Jahmari Cooper, who was 17 at the time of the killing, was convicted of murder charges stemming from the shooting death of Jeri Kollock Jr. in October 2017.
During the trial, evidence showed that Kollock was stripped naked before being murdered in the housing complex's basement. An autopsy revealed that he'd been shot five times, officials said.
Cooper fled the area after the killing and was taken into custody nearly a year later in Florida. During a search of his home weeks after the incident, officers found the pistol used to kill Kollock, according to authorities.
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In addition to his prison sentence, the judge sentenced Cooper to 10 years of special parole.
“This case is symptomatic of the plague of gun violence among young people that afflicts the citizens of Bridgeport,” State’s Attorney Joseph Corradino said. “It is the policy of our office to vigorously enforce the law to protect the safety and well-being of the people who live in this community.”
Officials say he's also awaiting trial for an unrelated homicide in New York.
