A man charged with shooting and killing a Miami Gardens gas station owner when he was just 15 years old agreed to a plea deal Wednesday that will put him behind bars for the next 30 years.
Damu Bridgewater, now 18, had been facing as much as 82 years in prison if his case had gone to trial.
There were no family members in court for Bridgewater as he accepted the deal.
"In the four years I've represented him, I spoke to his father once, set up three appointments for him and he never appeared in my office," said Bridgewater's attorney, Rene Palomino.
Bridgewater was charged with first-degree murder in the August 11, 2011 killing of Shahid Mahmood, who was gunned down during an attempted robbery at the Amerika Gas Station on Northwest 22nd Avenue.
Mahmood, 58, was leaving the store at the end of his shift when he was shot several times as he sat in his car, police said.
Bridgewater was also charged with burglary and carrying a concealed weapon.
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Besides an eyewitness, prosecutors also had a videotaped confession and lots of DNA evidence.
"The five burglaries and a homicide, as you heard in the courtroom, the homicide case was a very, very difficult case. The evidence was overwhelming," Palomino said.
