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BEDFORD -- A Bedford man was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for killing another man after pleading guilty to third-degree murder Friday afternoon in Bedford County Court.
Tico Octavious Franklin, 40, faced the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of 62-year-old Brian Hunter. He also pleaded guilty to one felony count of robbery of a motor vehicle and three misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.
President Judge Travis Livengood also ordered Franklin to pay restitution of $6,740 to Hunter's widow to cover his funeral costs.
The killing took place along the Mile Level in Snake Spring Township about 1:57 p.m. April 24, 2021, after Franklin argued with the victim's daughter and was told to leave, according to police reports.
Franklin is accused of shooting Hunter multiple times before taking a vehicle and fleeing the scene. The vehicle was found along I-70 in Maryland later that day, and Franklin was located and arrested in Baltimore, Md. According to online court documents, the county District Attorney's Office filed a notice seeking the death penalty in September 2021.
During the hearing's proceedings, a full section of the courtroom's gallery was taken by Hunter's family and close friends wearing blue T-shirts with his face on the front and angel wings on the back. Prior to handing down Franklin's sentence, Livengood heard 16 victim impact statements.
The first was from Samantha Hunter, the victim's youngest daughter, who called Franklin a "coward of a man" and said that there was "no possible way" to make her feel better.
"No one loved you, and everyone loved him, and I'm sorry for that," Samantha Hunter said. "You took my heart and soul from me."
Reggie Brown told Livengood that while Hunter wasn't his biological father, Hunter had helped raise him.
"He was the closest thing I had to a dad since my own died when I was 7," Brown said.
Amanda Weyandt, a family friend of the Hunters, said her young son had called Hunter "pop pop." She described Hunter as "the peace, the protection, the provider" that would help anyone in their time of need "including Tico."
Angela Brown, Hunter's daughter and Tico's ex-girlfriend, told Livengood that Tico was a "monster" and that he "should never be released." She broke down in tears and had to leave the courtroom following her statement.
Brown later returned with her and Tico's 7-year-old son, who had witnessed the shooting when he was 5. The son read his own handwritten statement. Once he was finished, he and his mother hugged and cried together.
Sheryl Hunter, Hunter's widow, told Livengood that she "feels like she's living a nightmare." She said that her husband was a long-haul trucker and was gone Monday through Friday so she still catches herself expecting him home every Friday evening.
She described the hardship of now having to work two jobs to make ends meet and how betrayed her family feels because of the amount Hunter did for Tico.
"Forgiveness is something you'll never get from me, my family, or my friends," Sheryl Hunter said.
In closing her statement, Sheryl told Livengood that she felt Tico was "violent" and that "he would kill again" before asking him to be sentenced to life without parole.
Following the statements, attorneys with the Attorney General's Office asked that any of Hunter's belongings be returned to Sheryl after all of Franklin's appeals were exhausted.
In handing down the sentence of 30 to 60 years, Livengood said that it was "impossible to comment anymore on the case than what's already been said."
"Anytime anyone commits a crime, there is a price to be paid for it," Livengood said, adding that the price is being paid by those who knew and loved Hunter.
Given the opportunity to speak, Franklin said that he was "really, really sorry" and that there was "no excuse for what I done." Throughout the proceedings, he did not look at Hunter's family or friends.
In a statement, Franklin's attorney Daniel Kiss said that he and Franklin were satisfied with the outcome.
"This was a terrible tragedy for everyone and Mr. Franklin was remorseful at all times," Kiss said. "It was a negotiated plea and sentence which both sides agreed to. It balanced the need for punishment along with the need for rehabilitation and possibility of parole someday. I do not expect anything further in this matter except for Mr. Franklin to serve his sentence."