A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for shooting 16-year-old Zebulun Bacon during a hangout session that also involved drinking and smoking pot, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.
John Martinez appeared in court Aug. 16 for sentencing following a jury trial in June, during which he was found guilty of manslaughter, assault and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Prosecutors say on the evening of July 24, 2017, Martinez was drinking alcohol and "hanging out" with Bacon and another teen into the early morning hours of July 25, 2017. The trio began drinking in Westminster at the home of the unnamed teen and later drove to the home of Martinez's girlfriend's mom in Lakewood, according to a release from the DA.
There, they continued to drink and smoke pot, when Martinez went into a back room and returned with a loaded gun, the DA said.
The three were "fooling around" with the gun when Martinez "raised the gun, pointed it at [Bacon] and shot him," the DA's release says.
Bacon was shot in the chest and died from his wound.
