Judge dismisses appeal of 2008 Halloween killing

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed the appeal of a Sumter man who killed a 12-year-old trick-or-treater in 2008 by answering a Halloween knock on his door with a barrage of bullets from an AK-47.

The Item of Sumter reports Saturday (http://bit.ly/13tCdgJ ) that Judge Margaret Seymour dismissed Quentin Patrick’s appeal of his 2009 sentencing. The now-27-year-old received 16 years and eight months in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a weapon.

Prosecutors say T.J. Darrisaw was shot at least a dozen times, while his stepfather and a brother were wounded.

Patrick, a convicted drug dealer, said he fired because he thought a rival drug dealer was back to shoot him again. His appeal sought a reduced sentence by questioning his prosecution as a “career criminal.”

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Information from: The Item, http://www.theitem.com