DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A convicted killer who was sentenced as a juvenile in 1995 to life in prison for shooting a suspected pedophile when he was 14 years old got a new sentence Monday.
Mark Berrios, 36, was offered a 30-year plea deal at a re-sentencing hearing.
The Jacksonville man accepted and will serve seven more years in prison after a 23-year incarceration period.
Berrios got credit for the time he served in county jail on top of the time he already served in prison.
[ Read: Man convicted of killing child molester at 14 years old to be resentenced ]
His family, who have been fighting for a new sentence for years, hugged each other in the courtroom.
Investigators said Berrios shot and killed Olen Hepler, and stole his truck and $800.
His mother, Margaret Loring, said Berrios ran away from a 30-day juvenile program in Daytona Beach when he was 14.
[ Read: Death row inmate who killed Florida deputy to be resentenced ]
She said he was a good kid who got into mischief, but never thought that mischief would lead to involvement with an abusive man.
Loring said Hepler was a pedophile who preyed on troubled boys.
According to newspaper reports at the time, evidence of Hepler’s pedophilia was not allowed to be admitted during Berrios trial.
A Supreme Court ruling that says juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole worked in Berrios' favor.
The judge also received a half-dozen letters of support and expert testimony from a man who says he endured the same abuse.