A 21-year-old Texas man, James Michael Sotelo, has been handed a 40-year prison sentence for the murder of his 17-year-old friend, Corey Thompson, during a sleepover. The sentencing was delivered by Harris County District Court Judge Josh Hill, who ordered Sotelo to serve his time in a state correctional facility. The verdict came eight months after a jury found Sotelo guilty of murder following a six-day trial.
Sotelo opted to have his sentence determined by Judge Hill after presentence investigations, a decision permitted under Harris County law. The murder was characterized as “cold-blooded” by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who noted that Sotelo posed a significant threat to the community. Ogg also highlighted that Sotelo continued his criminal activities even after being released on bond for murder, which led to his re-arrest for firearm possession.
The fatal incident took place on March 20, 2021, when Thompson was spending the night at Sotelo’s family residence. Sotelo, a high school dropout, fired 13 rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at Thompson as he was about to sleep around 3 a.m. Emergency medical personnel and deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene, where an investigation revealed that 11 of the shots had struck Thompson in the back.
One of the bullets missed Thompson and penetrated a wall, striking Sotelo’s sleeping brother in the face. Although his brother survived the incident, Sotelo was charged and convicted of deadly conduct. Judge Hill added a concurrent two-year sentence for this charge to Sotelo’s 40-year sentence.
Prosecutors had pushed for a longer sentence due to the heinous and cold-blooded nature of the crime. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Tucker pointed out that Sotelo’s assertion of not being under the influence of drugs or alcohol made his deliberate act of pulling the trigger 13 times even more shocking. Tucker also noted that Sotelo showed no remorse for his actions and there were no mitigating factors.
During his trial, Sotelo defended himself by claiming that he shot Thompson because the latter had attacked him in his sleep. This claim was refuted by Thompson’s mother, April Wright, who pointed out that all the gunshot wounds were on Thompson’s back. Thompson’s family also stated that Sotelo showed no remorse for his actions.
Under Texas law, Sotelo will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.