Patrick James Root has been sentenced to 367 months in prison for the August 4, 2017 murder of Timothy Hughes.
In February of 2019, Root pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder. His sentence of just over 30 years is the guideline maximum for the charge.
In a statement to WCMP, Pine County Attorney Reese Frederickson said it took a lot of effort to get to Wednesday's sentencing hearing because Root was 17 at the time of the shooting.
"We had to start in juvenile court, then certify him as an adult, which involved many hearings and expert witnesses. We also had to fight evidentiary and suppression motions, which also involved a lot of litigation," said Frederickson.
At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, April 3, multiple family members and supporters of the Hughes made victim impact statements. Root made no statement to the court.
Root will also have to pay $5, 365.33 in restitution for funeral expenses along with the prison time. If he serves two-thirds of his sentence with good behavior, Root could be released early and serve the remaining third while on parole.
