CROWN POINT — A Gary man who shot and killed an innocent bystander outside a gas station in 2021 was sentenced to four years in prison for her murder, Lake Criminal Court Judge Salvador Vasquez ordered Monday.
James M. Guyton, 23, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of reckless homicide in December for the killing of Jaelynn Williams, 21, outside a Citgo gas station on the 3100 block of West 15th Avenue in Gary after he got into an altercation with her boyfriend, according to a probable-cause affidavit. He was charged with the crime in March 2022.Â
Reckless homicide carries a sentence of between one to six years in prison. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Guyton, which carries a possible sentence of a possible sentence of 45 to 65 years.
Vasquez said in his order that the court considered multiple circumstances when deciding on a sentence. Guyton has two prior juvenile adjudications and was out on bond for three separate cases regarding handgun possession when the killing happened, which warrant a longer sentence, he wrote in the order.
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He acknowledged that Guyton admitted to the offense, but a higher charge is being dismissed as a result of the plea, the order said.
According to information in the affidavit, Williams' boyfriend was walking into the gas station when Guyton, who was driving a blue Chevrolet Malibu, asked the man why he was staring at his car.
Williams' boyfriend said he was simply looking in that direction but not at Guyton's car, documents state.Â
Once Williams' boyfriend exited the store, the Chevrolet Malibu motored forward and multiple shots were fired from it toward a black Chevrolet Impala, police said. Williams, who was in the front seat, was shot twice in the head, records state.
Detectives located multiple spent shell casing in the area where the incident occurred, police said, and surveillance video corroborated the story Williams' boyfriend told officers.Â
A witness told police days after Williams' death that Guyton admitted he was involved in the shooting, documents show.
