A Niagara Falls man was sentenced Wednesday for the shooting death of a Niagara University student last December.
Eighteen-year-old Gordon Jackson faces 21 years-to-life in state prison. The victim, Brandon Johnson of Rochester, was shot in the head with a shotgun during a robbery attempt at his apartment close to the Niagara campus on December 8, 2011.
Through a plea deal, a trial was avoided and Jackson's sentence was reduced from a possible 40 years-to-life.
Jackson apologized to Johnson's family and said he alone was responsible for the shooting. However, his attorneys say he was pressured into the crime by 24-year-old Cordero Gibson, who also agreed to a plea deal for first-degree manslaughter for a maximum 18-year prison term.
Gibson wants to withdraw his plea deal, blaming an ineffective attorney.