ROCK HILL, S.C. — The man who confessed to shooting and killing a 17-year-old South Pointe High School student last summer was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday.
Demetric Houze, 26, was arrested last June in connection with the death of Quan Torbit after a fight at Sunset Park.
Before being carried away in handcuffs, Houze addressed Torbit's family.
"My condolences to the family, and to my girlfriend who has to raise our kids by herself," Houze said.
Prosecutors said Houze shot Torbit three times. The motive remains unclear, as investigators said Houze was not involved in the fight nor did he have any previous issues with Torbit. Investigators said Torbit was defending his twin sister during a fist fight before he was shot.
Houze will serve out his sentence at the Department of Corrections in Columbia, South Carolina.
Investigators said Torbit was defending his twin sister during a fist fight before he was shot.
Timothy Holley, 20, was also arrested in connection with the shooting. Torbit's mother told NBC Charlotte that Holley was Quan's brother and that he was protecting him.
“That was my baby, I’m never going to see him again it hurts,” she said. "He was a good person, he loved any and everybody, he never met a stranger."
