Prosecutors: Lehigh County Man Convicted In Fatal New Year's Eve Party Shooting Won't Face Death Sentence
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man convicted in a New Year's Eve party shooting that left one man dead and another wounded will not face a potential death sentence, prosecutors have determined. The Lehigh County District Attorney's office made the announcement shortly after Vyante Green was convicted Thursday.
They said the decision was reached after prosecutors spoke with the slain man's family and in consideration of the jury's lengthy deliberations.
Green, 25, of Allentown, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Kenyatta Eutsey, 23, of Bethlehem. That count carries a mandatory life sentence.
Green was also convicted of attempted homicide in the shooting of Demitri Joseph, 24, of New Jersey, as well as aggravated assault and weapons offenses. The verdicts came after the jury deliberated for nearly seven hours overall.
The shooting occurred early on New Year's Day 2018 in an Allentown home that had been rented for the party. Witnesses said they did not see any altercation before Green fired four shots in a crowded room, hitting both victims with two bullets each.
Green testified that he fired his gun after a man "snatched" his phone during the party, saying he thought Eutsey was reaching for a weapon.
The party was so loud that people initially thought the gunshots were firecrackers set off to celebrate the New Year, prosecutors have said.
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