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Judge affirms jury recommendation; Eura gets life Date published: 11/14/2009
BY KEITH EPPS A judge yesterday ordered Toronto Eura to spend the rest of his life in prison for the Jan. 6 slaying of 21-year-old Jamiar Ellis. Judge Gordon Willis gave Eura the same sentence a Fredericksburg jury recommended in September when it convicted Eura of three charges, including first-degree murder--life plus 13 years. Defense attorney Cary Bowen didn't even bother to try to talk Willis into reducing the sentence. Bowen said he realized that Eura was getting the life sentence. Ellis was shot five times early Jan. 6 in the parking lot at Forest Village Apartments. According to the testimony, Ellis was talking to Shaunice Weldon about 1:30 that morning when Eura walked up and shot him. Ellis' best friend, Jeffrey Willis, testified that Eura made only a few comments before shooting Ellis for no apparent reason. Eura and Weldon went to a motel room together. She had been with Ellis the previous day. Eura admitted that he was in the parking lot that morning, but he denied shooting Ellis. He said he lied to police that he was home watching a movie with his wife at the time because he didn't want them to know he was out cheating. Yesterday, Commonwealth's Attorney LaBravia Jenkins simply asked Willis to impose the life sentence. She pointed out that Eura was previously convicted of shooting another man. Ellis' mother, Stacy Orellana, gave emotional testimony yesterday about the pain of losing her son. She looked at Eura and said, "You shot my son five times. You don't shoot an animal five times." A few noises were made in the courtroom when Orellana referred to Eura as "an apple that didn't fall far from the tree." Willis interrupted the proceedings to warn the audience that any outbursts would have repercussions. No one made any more noise. Eura stated that he was sorry for the pain Ellis' family is feeling. Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
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